The Man In The Corner
by Smritz
Summary: There is a dark shape in the corner of Light's room. It disappears every time he switches the light back on. It's been coming back every night for three nights now. ...It watches him sleep. (Vampire AU)
1. Stalker

Chapter 1: Stalker

Light was now absolutely certain that there was a man in his room.

The brunet rolled over in bed, facing away from where he saw the sliver of a shadow, just hidden from the moonlight coming from his window by the sweep of the curtains. He let out a faint sigh, making it sound like he was still asleep, trying to buy time to think of what to do.

This had been happening for three nights now. For three nights, he had been seeing that strange ghostlike apparition standing around in the corner, just out of sight. Light had tried switching the lights on the first time he thought he saw him, but the minute the darkness dispelled, so did his ghost. On the first night, he had dismissed it as being a nightmare or a trick of the shadows. That morning, he had checked the corner and frowned. There was nothing there, no furniture, no clothes, nothing that could possibly look like a human being crouched uncomfortably as he stared at Light's sleeping form.

The second night, he wondered if he was losing his mind with stress. He was definitely stressed out a lot nowadays, a side-effect of going to college with the people he was keeping around him. He did like people worshipping the very ground he stepped on (who didn't?), but there were limits to everything! He couldn't remember the last time he had walked without having a certain blond model who had obviously bribed her way into the course hanging off of his arm, blatantly and unrepentantly breaking his personal bubble.

Anyway (damn it _,_ there was an _intruder in his room_. He would _not_ be distracted by thoughts of Misa Amane!), anyway, the second night he had jumped to the light switch as quickly as he could, and he had managed to catch a blurred shape vault out of his newly opened window. He had rushed to the windowsill as fast as he could, but there was nobody on the pavement below, nobody sprinting away as fast as they could (and especially nobody dragging a broken ankle behind them. They had thrown themselves off the _first floor!_ ). _That_ morning, Light had spent a good ten minutes reinforcing the lock over his window, drawing a line of salt along the sill and hiding a kitchen knife under his pillow.

Now, lying in bed on the third night since the silent spectre made his first appearance, he listened carefully to the sound of the wind whistling in through his window, which must have had its lock unlatched somehow from the _outside_. Obviously, the line of salt would have been disrupted, which would be his proof in the morning that he wasn't dreaming this, no matter what happened next (if he survived what happened next).

There were only two options as to who this person could be. He could either be some sort of super-prepared stalker who jumped out of windows way too easily, suggesting a burglar (or something more sinister)…or he could be a ghost. Light hadn't completely dismissed that option.

Whatever it was, the brunet was glad the spectre had chosen the same corner to lurk in as he always did, because that meant his plan would work.

The teenager took a deep breath, half-lidding his amber eyes and hoping to God it was a ghost and not some sort of violent stalker who would turn on him, because he hadn't informed his father or anybody. He was being a bit of an idiot about this, but he didn't want to be embarrassed in case this was all in his head.

With a mighty yank, he pulled the cord he had laid discreetly by his mattress and clambered out of bed, brandishing his kitchen knife in his sweaty hands. The cord had been linked to the window (rather than the light switch, as he had initially planned), sending it sliding shut and the lock latching back in place through the spring trigger he had set up.

The spectre banged into the glass and bounced back, confused. The rattling of the windowpane sent Light's heart beating at an almost painful speed. It was a dark shape, it seemed to be wearing a black hooded sweatshirt over its hair. Its limbs were too pale in the moonlight.

A stalker, then. Fuck, it wasn't a ghost. Light held the knife up in shaking hands, stuck between attacking the creep and calling for help. He hadn't planned it out so far, he hadn't expected himself to not be imagining it.

The spectre slowly turned towards him, and he saw that the man's face was covered by a black scarf, his eyes barely visible under the rim of the hood and glimmering ominously in the light.

The brunet's hands were trembling so violently he could barely keep hold of the knife. He could just _try_ attacking him in this state, this impassive, chastising figure staring him down.

Looks like he was going to call for help after all.

The teenager had barely managed to turn and wrap his hand around the doorknob before the figure caught him by the hair and wrenched him back. He opened his mouth to scream for help but a hand clamped over it. He was dragged back to his bed and thrown down on his front onto it, the hand still over his mouth. Desperately, Light slashed behind him with his knife, tearing through some fabric and hitting skin. He flicked his wrist, trying to get in as deep as he could, but the man had taken hold of his wrist, squeezing it to force him to let go of the weapon. Light wouldn't, though. He jerked his hand free and swiped it back where he judged the figure to be. He hit more skin and stabbed brutally at it, but the grip over his mouth and the weight holding him down didn't loosen in the slightest.

"Calm down, I am not going to hurt you." A soft voice came, and Light cried out in a panic. He stabbed back again but the stalker had seized his hand once more, this time wresting the knife from his scrabbling fingers.

How had he been so careless? How had he not planned this out better?

Light writhed and kicked out at where he had determined the stalker to be, shrieking as loudly as he could. "Don't you fucking touch me! Don't you dare!" His words were muffled but the hand still tightened its grip over it.

The voice sounded affronted. "I told you I won't hurt you."

Light whined, trying his hardest to bite into one of the man's fingers, but his skin seemed to be made of stone, it was impossible to move against it. "Let go of me! Let me go!" He wriggled, trying to twist his mouth free. _"Help! Help me!"_

"Yagami-kun, you are not in danger. Please calm down."

Light shrieked as loudly as he could, and he was suddenly flipped onto his back, the air shocked out of his lungs. The hand replaced itself over his mouth and the man half-sat on him, his eyes gleaming black pearls under his hood.

The stalker's free hand gently flicked some hair out of Light's eyes. "Please be quiet, Yagami-kun. I promise you I won't harm you."

Now on his back, Light was in the perfect position to get in a good shot at the masked man's face. It would have to be the punch of a lifetime, he had to fucking smash the man's nose in, kick him across the room, fetch his knife and possibly, hopefully, get in a few near-fatal stabs before he ran to get help.

The brunet let out a nervous whimper, getting the creep's attention to his face.

"I'm sorry for frightening you. I swear I didn't mean to." The intruder had the nerve to sound concerned, his fingers hovering over Light's forehead as if making his mind up about something.

The teenager curled his hand into a fist and drew it back, putting all of his strength and weight into it as delivered the blow straight at the stalker's nose.

Light gasped, a jolt of pain running through his hand. It was like he had tried to smash a brick wall, his knuckles stung, they may even be bleeding for all he knew. The stalker was entirely unaffected, still as a statue as Light tried to get in another strike, this time to the curve of the man's neck. A stone wall, a pillar of fucking _marble_ , the brunet's hand dropped to his side, throbbing with pain.

What was happening to him? Did the stalker drug him or something? Why couldn't he _hit_ him? It was a simple concept, and it wasn't like Light was weak or frail in any way, he was a tennis champion for God's sake.

The teenager whimpered again, but this time he wasn't pretending. He writhed where he was, blinking away mortifying tears of absolute terror. "Please, please don't hurt me, please."

"I said I won't. You are the one trying to hurt me." Was that _irritation_ he heard in the creep's low timbre? Was he fucking dreaming?

"You're the one sitting on me! You're pinning me down, you're in my room! Let me _go!"_

The man appeared to deliberate on that. "I can see how this can all be…unsettling. But if I let you go, you will alert your entire family to my presence."

"I won't, I won't, I swear." Light shook his head, trying to squirm again, but the stalker's grip only tightened around him.

"I don't believe you, Raito-kun."

Light's eyes narrowed as he studied the shape. "Who are you?"

The stalker sighed. "I didn't mean for things to go this way, Yagami-kun. I'm sorry. I'll release you now, and I'll leave out of your window. Don't worry, I won't return. I…" He dipped his head. "Please don't scream. I do not wish to alarm your family as well." Those glimmering black eyes bored into his. "Again, I'm sorry."

Light found himself nodding slightly and caught himself, staying as motionless as he could until the man finally released his mouth and backed away. The brunet considered calling for help, but instead opted to sit up straight, licking his lips and rubbing his sore knuckles.

The man, true to his word, ambled over to the window and unlatched it, shoving it up, letting in a gust of cold wind. He looked back at Light's tense posture on his bed and ducked his head as if ashamed. He seemed to open his mouth, about to say something, but changed his mind, turning back to the window.

Before Light could comprehend it, the man was suddenly gone, a blurred shape vanishing from the sill. The teenager scrambled out of bed, leaning out of the window and craning his head to spy the road outside, but there was nobody there, no black form ambling along, nothing in the shadow of his bare, deserted front lawn, nothing behind the fences (that he could see under the dim orange streetlights).

He could still be there, hiding in a corner somewhere, _watching_ him, and evidently the teenager's locks did nothing to stop him.

A more logical person would have called the police, or even fetched his father's gun from their bedroom, but it seemed Light wasn't that logical after all. He pulled out the chair from his desk, dragged it so it faced the window and sat there, knife clutched in his hands, swearing to himself that he would not run this time, he would face that fucker down if he tried coming back.

 _Oh, just let him try coming back._

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A/N: Okay, so this fanfic started off as a kind of parody on Twilight, but it just kind of grew into its own story! You can read it with both interpretations, really. Reviews are appreciated! :D


	2. Afraid

Chapter 2: Afraid

Matt was pretty sure he knew exactly why L was in such a bad mood this morning.

"Watari, listen to reason. It's urgent, I _have_ to accompany Mello. It's not like I want to. When have I ever _wanted_ to accompany Mello anywhere?"

"Hey!" Mello protested, crossing his arms in front of his chest. Everybody ignored him.

The spindly man was bouncing from leg to leg, _fidgeting_ , something none of them would ever do under any circumstances unless they were trying to distract a human. Matt grinned, turning back to his video game. L thought he was being so very discreet about this, but he and Mello had snuck into his room a couple of days ago and found his sketchbook. Much like Near, L had a creepy streak that was born out of a mixture of deep affections and social retardation, and the fact that the focus of their affections was always carefully chosen after considering a number of factors didn't do much to help.

Their old guardian, the man who had converted all of them except Matt himself (who had been Mello's victim), looked up from his stack of paperwork and gave L a sharp look from under his glasses. "No. You fed four days ago. You're good for another week."

L grew more agitated, twisting his hands together as his hunch grew pronounced. "Watari! I can't help it! I'm having urges!"

Matt and Mello giggled at the same time, exchanging glances. "Yeah, Watari, he's definitely having _urges_." Mello snarked. "Whether they're blood-related is a different story."

"Oh, they're blood-related alright." Matt snorted, grinning widely. "Though the blood in question is probably not going to his digestive system."

Mello laughed, giving Matt a high-five. Watari studied them with some interest, turning his severe gaze from the two teenagers to the detective, who was giving them a stricken look. Matt chortled.

 _"Look_ at that blush, Watari. He doesn't need another feeding for a month."

L gritted his teeth, his hands curling into fists. "I need a feeding when I say I need a feeding!"

Watari took off his glasses and polished them with a soft cloth. Matt burst out laughing when he saw that the old man was trying to suppress his own smile. "I'm sorry, L. It's too dangerous to let you feed so very often."

"It's dangerous not to! What if I feel the urge in front of a student in college?"

Mello giggled. "Oh, he will. There's no doubt about that."

"You two, shut up!" L snapped. "I don't know what you're alluding to, and I don't care! I am being very much serious here, Watari, I need to accompany Mello to the forest or else I will bite a student and cause mass-hysteria and one hell of a cover-up."

"You will do no such thing." Watari sobered up, getting briskly to his feet and marching up to the black-haired man. "L Lawliet. You will go to college, get your degree and return, and only then will I give you your position back. Do you understand me? You will not wheedle your way out of this."

Matt almost gasped when he saw the normally impassive detective pouting. _Pouting?_ Wow, something terrible must have happened last night for L to be this nervous about returning to college. How badly could he have embarrassed himself?

The redhead paused his video game and put down his controller, sauntering over to the couch and grabbing his shoulder bag. "Come on, L. We can go together, alright?"

The black-haired man gave him a withering look. "I don't need an escort." He turned back to their old guardian. "Alright, but this is on your head, Watari. If I snap, you don't get to blame me."

Mello whistled. "That's a big one, Watari. You better think carefully on that."

L sneered at the blond vampire as he clutched at his own bag and stormed out the front door. Matt and Mello exchanged smirks again, much to Watari's amusement.

The English gentleman sat back down in his seat, placing his glasses back on the bridge of his nose as he shuffled through his paperwork once more. "Well, Matt?" He said without looking up. "Are you going to try getting out of college as well?"

Matt grinned. "Will I succeed? I haven't finished that level on my game yet."

"You'd succeed just as well as L did. Run along now. Mihael, you may leave in fifteen minutes."

Matt sniffed, turning on his heel and following L out the door. As he turned in to the driveway of their fancy new Tokyo residence, he was not very surprised to see the detective waiting for him in the driver's seat of their vintage car, squatting atop the seat and chewing on a gummy bear. Matt slid into the passenger's seat and darted an amused smile at the pale man. "Anything to delay the inevitable, huh?"

He got a heated glare from wide-set black eyes. "Did you not want me to wait for you? I thought I was doing you a favour."

Matt whipped out his handheld video game from the pockets of his jeans. "Thanks, L." He mused for a second. "You call yourself Ryuuzaki in Japan, right?"

"That is right."

Matt nodded. "Okay, I'll remember that." He absorbed himself in the FPS he had downloaded hastily a couple days ago into his console. He didn't like using it, it was outdated and there were several better ones in the market, but there was a sentimental value to it, to those blurred pixel gunmen shooting blurred pixel bullets at his character.

"So, Ryuuzaki, do you want to share what happened last night? You came in early."

"No." The answer was short and clipped, and actually had Matt looking up in surprise for a second to glance at the tight-lipped detective, who was gripping the steering wheel with white knuckles, his legs for once folded down so that they could rest on the accelerator and brakes.

The redhead shrugged, putting all of his attention back into the game. "Alright."

The rest of the ride proceeded in silence, driving through roads and roads of cramped urban surroundings, so different from where they usually laid base, until they finally drew into the parking space of To-oh University, the site of their penance and only route to salvation. Technically, only Mello, Matt and L were enrolled into this place for an actual punishment, but Near, for some reason, had taken it upon himself to join as well, as if he was likely to actually learn something from the place that they hadn't learnt through their numerous punishments over the seventy years they had lived together.

And worse, Near was currently acting as the Detective L, which meant he got to lug L's precious laptop around campus for the next two years until the older man got his degree and snatched it back. It was the worst kind of bragging, _asshole_ bragging.

Huh, now that Matt thought about it, that was probably _why_ Near had enrolled, so that he could work on L's cases in front of his face at all times and gloat about how he wasn't in disgrace while everybody else was.

 _Fucking nerd._

L turned off the engine of the car and sat in his seat, staring straight ahead into nothing with that pensive expression on his face. Matt felt a stab of sympathy for the man. The poor guy had a lot on his plate right now. Not only did he have to deal with his punishment, but he also had Near-the-Fucking-Show-Off gloating every chance he got. The last thing he needed was whatever had happened last night and messed up his fledgling romance.

The redhead patted the detective's shoulder. "Hey, it's not so bad. Whatever it is."

He had expected the older man to shrug him off, give him a dismissive glance or just snub him entirely by opening the car door. Instead, though, he surprised him by deflating and giving him a look so heartbroken it had goosebumps rising over Matt's arms.

"It _is_ so bad."

The redhead frowned. "How so? What happened?"

"I just…" The detective groaned, burying his head in his hands. "I messed up, okay? I messed it all up, it all went to shit. I didn't…I didn't mean to, it just happened. I didn't expect him to…" He shivered, and Matt only just managed to keep his mouth from dropping open.

"What on Earth did you do?"

L didn't reply, so Matt decided to air his suspicions. "You spied on him. Stalked him? Did he see your face? See you sketching? I don't get how he could see you, you're the sneakiest vampire I know, and I'm sure you had an escape route ready."

"That's the problem!" L growled. "He tested me! He saw me two nights ago, observed how I escaped and _trapped_ me! I couldn't escape and…and he was going to…he was calling for help! He was _afraid_ of me! He thought I was going to hurt him!"

The redhead couldn't help but bite back a grin. "Trust _your_ crushes to do everything in the most complicated way possible. I don't see what your problem is, you should've expected him to do that. If you like him, he must be smart, right?" Matt tapped his bottom lip. "I think I know who he is, I've seen him around campus. Was he the one who gave the freshman address with you?"

L dipped his head. "Yes." He said in a quiet voice. "Light Yagami. First year law student, eighteen years old, and the most fascinating human being I've ever seen. He's…when I talk to him, I feel _good_. Happy, even. I just…he makes me laugh, he makes me _think_ , he's really very intelligent, possibly even on my level. I don't feel this way with many people, Matt."

"Hmm…" Matt did a once-over of the squatting detective, who had started to dig into another gummy bear. "So, what happened after he trapped you? Did he call the cops on you? Did anyone else see you?"

L shook his head, chewing nervously into his third gummy bear. Matt narrowed his eyes.

"Did he even see your face?"

He shook his head. Matt huffed, incredulous. "So what on earth is the drama for? What are you even afraid of if you got away?"

L turned his dark gaze to him, and his expression was smouldering. "I _scared_ him, Mail. I made him _afraid_ of me. I have failed at basic human decency. I've been sketching him in his sleep, and I didn't see anything wrong with it until I saw him trembling with fear. I'm afraid I'll never have the social skills required for social contact, much less to actually establish a relationship with him."

"Bullshit." Matt scoffed. "Yeah, you're a little socially retarded, but that doesn't mean you should just cut off with this guy. It sounds like you're already doing a pretty good job making friends with him, if he jokes around with you or whatever."

L sighed. "No, he's like that with everyone. He's even like that with _Amane Misa."_

The redhead cringed. "Oh, crap. That's not a good sign. But jeez, L, don't give up. You're not compromised. Just make sure you don't do anything creepy ever again, just be normal for a little while and you'll be fine."

"But I don't know how to _be_ normal!"

Matt laughed. "I'll help you, alright? I'll tell you what you shouldn't do, and everything else you can manage, especially if he's as intelligent as you say. Just chill, Ryuuzaki."

L let out a deep breath. "Chill. I should chill."

"Yes, chill." Matt looked at his watch and chuckled. "Great, we've missed the first two periods. Come on, Ryuuzaki, we don't want them docking our grades or calling Watari or something."

Ryuuzaki managed a dry look as he exited the vehicle in his usual slouch. "Yes, we should probably avoid that."

Matt grinned as he pulled on his bag and pattered through the corridors on his way to class. It was always fun when it was Near or L who was trying something new in the social sphere (when it was Mello, it was too much anarchy and not enough progress).

This was going to be fun.

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A/N: Reviews are much appreciated! I'd really like to know if you have any criticisms and/or if you're interested!


	3. Social Sphere (Part 1)

Chapter 3: Social Sphere (Part 1)

L didn't see Light for the entire first half of the day, which was strange considering they shared almost all their classes. It unsettled him. Light wasn't the kind of person to skip lectures, he was a model student. What if he wasn't attending today? What if L had actually shaken him last night?

Oh, God, what if he was injured? He had attempted to punch L, he could easily have broken a finger in the process. The thought sent L into a spiral of embarrassment and self-loathing. He couldn't do _one thing_ right. Why couldn't he just act like a normal person? Matt could do it! Even Mello and Near could approximate something in their own ways.

Was L worse than _Mello?_ And Near, who still played with Transformers toys as he ate in the college cafeteria?

L sat through his already-dull classes in a haze of misery. They were only a month into the semester, and the detective had created a kind of system to entertain himself. If he could call it a system. It was really just two options: stare unblinkingly at Raito-kun and absorb his every characteristic or, if he sat close enough to the teenager, actually spend time talking to him. If there was anybody as bored as L in a class, it would be Light.

L liked talking more than staring, which was a first. Light was about as intelligent as he was attractive, which made L very curious about what his flaws could be. Half of their conversations he would spend cataloguing every flaw the brunet had (so far: pride, arrogance, pretension, neuroticism, obsessive-compulsive tendencies and childish competitiveness), and the best part was, he was pretty sure Light knew he was doing it. That was truly the best part, because then L knew the brunet was also doing the same for him.

It was a constant guessing game, figuring out what the other was thinking, and it was _addictive_. L missed it, which only made the guilt worse. So, rather than stare at any of his classmates, the detective spent most of his time brooding sulkily in the corner and wishing he was never born.

L slumped down the corridors, books in hand, and made his way to the cafeteria for lunchtime. Hopefully, Matt would be there and he would let him rant to him more because these thoughts were poisonous and he wanted them out as soon as possible. Though even if Matt wasn't there, L wouldn't mind because he would replace him with the college's famous blueberry shortcake and that was just as good to drown out his misery. Oh, L could just imagine the buttery, flaky crust, the pop of the berries, the sweet taste sticking to his tongue…

…he kind of hoped Matt wasn't there now. The redhead might ask him for a piece of his pastry, and God knew he wouldn't share that slice of heaven for anything.

L's steps grew quicker. He had ploughed through his gummy-bear collection within the first two periods he had attended and was dying to stick something (anything) sugary in his mouth. Chocolate sticks, candy bars, doughnuts…

He turned the corner into the double-doors of the cafeteria and stopped dead.

The first table near the doors was occupied by a dense group of people in his year from several different majors, all with their expensive designer collars unbuttoned and hair tousled fashionably as they laughed at some joke made by one of their own. And who would be right in the middle of this group but a certain brunet in a neatly pressed button-down with a screeching blond model on his arm and a generic smile plastered on his face. His caramel eyes drifted hazily about, as if bored out of his mind.

Irrationally, L ducked behind some of the other people standing in line for a pastry of their own, hoping beyond hope that he wasn't visible to the younger man. The nervousness, the guilt twisted his stomach, _he had been so close to him last night_ , he needed cheesecake, _strawberry_ cheesecake. Why was this line so fucking long?

"Ryuuzaki!" He heard a voice call above the drone of the crowd and he squeezed his eyes shut. Taking a deep breath, he glanced behind him and let out a sigh of relief when it was only Matt, Matt a few tables away from Raito-kun, sitting with two plates of shortcake and a handheld console buzzing in front of him.

Quickly, the detective weaved his way through the tables, reaching his sibling and sliding into the seat opposite his, drawing his legs up and grabbing the second plate of shortcake (blueberries!).

Matt chuckled, fiddling with his console. "I've been researching your target all day."

L cringed. "Don't call him my target."

"Whatever." The redhead gave him a searching look over his game. "You didn't tell me he's already dating someone else."

L frowned at him over his blueberries. "He's not dating anybody."

"He's going out with Misa Amane."

The blood froze in L's veins. "He can't be." He snuck a glance at the most crowded table in the cafeteria. He could spot Light instantly with his head of auburn hair, sitting next to Amane Misa's bobbing blond figure. The model, as if aware of the line of their conversation, seized the moment to giggle loudly at something Light said, lean over and plant a smacking kiss on his cheek.

Matt snorted as if holding back a guffaw. "Or, at least, that's what Misa says."

Seemingly on cue, Light flinched from the model's grasp on his arm, giving her a sharp look as he edged away from her.

L felt cold relief pool in his stomach. "She's obviously lying, Mail. Light would never date _Misa Amane."_

"You'd be surprised what teenage boys tend to do with their time. She's beautiful, even _I_ can say that and I'm a flaming homosexual. My research tells me Light is bi, which means he's very likely to accept the constant offers of the hot model in love with him."

The detective dismissed it with a wave of his hand. "Perhaps I would consider it if Light wasn't a snob and Misa such an airhead. I have a feeling the purpose of that nonsense rumour was to test my resolve."

Matt grinned at him. "Oh, look at you, L. You're kind of cute when you're like this, you know that?"

L narrowed his eyes. "Are you mocking me, Mail Jeevas?"

"No, Ryuuzaki! How could you suggest such a thing?" The redhead pulled on the yellow-tinted goggles he had been using as a headband. "I would never mock you."

Before L could think of a possible response to that, the end-of-lunch bell rang and the crowd began to disperse. Light got up from his bench, extracted himself from Misa's grip on his shirt and gave his other friends a wave before sauntering out of the cafeteria.

"This is your chance, Ryuuzaki! Swoop!" Matt demanded, pausing his game and sticking it in the pocket of his jacket. L wrapped his arms around his knees.

"Matt…I'd rather not."

"Why the fuck not?"

"…I don't know how to swoop."

Matt burst out laughing. "Oh, fuck it all, Ryuuzaki, why are you so much like _Near?_ Just…come on, before we lose him. Come _on."_ He slipped out of his seat and caught L's elbow, dragging him off of his seat. "Don't be so dramatic. He didn't know it was you! You're in the clear!"

"But…"

"Go!" The redhead shoved him towards the exit and Ryuuzaki stumbled forward, catching his balance and giving the younger boy a dirty look before slouching down into the corridor. He could feel Matt at his heels, making sure he couldn't escape.

They marched out of the cafeteria and spotted Light's slender form climbing up the stairs to get to the Psychology class they shared. L felt a now-very-familiar knot in his stomach and turned back to Matt with a pleading look on his face. "Matt, I think I should just forget about all this, I'd really rather not-"

Matt rolled his eyes and elbowed L out of the way.

"Hey, Yagami! _Yagami-san!_ Over here!"

L's eyes widened in panic, shoving his thumbnail into his mouth and biting frantically.

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A/N: Thanks for the reviews! It's awesome to get feedback! :3 Next chapter: Light and L finally interact in a normal setting!


	4. Social Sphere (Part 2)

Chapter 4: Social Sphere (Part 2)

"Yagami-san! Over here! Hi!"

Light halted where he was, looking down at them with a quizzical expression. "Yes?"

L's cheeks burned as he kept his dark eyes trained on the ground. Fucking Matt, why did he have to make everything so damn embarrassing?

Matt waved cheerily at the brunet. "Hi! Ryuuzaki was just telling me all about you!"

L nearly ripped his fingernail out. "No I wasn't!"

An amused smile twisted Light's lips. He skipped back down the steps, hands shoved in the pockets of his tan trousers. "What did he say?"

"Nothing bad. I'm Matt." The redhead stuck his hand out and Light blinked for a second before shaking it.

"You're from England too?" The brunet asked. Matt's grin grew much wider.

"Yeah, I'm his brother. How'd you know we're from England?"

Light stuck his hands in his pockets again, glancing at L with a smirk. "Ryuuzaki-san has a thick accent. It's not hard to figure out." He eyed the two of them. "You look nothing alike."

"That's what happens when one of your parents is vastly more good looking than the other." Matt shrugged. "Anyway, I've got to get to class. Nice meeting you, Yagami!"

"Um, sure. Likewise." Light stood there, holding the strap of his backpack in one hand as he watched the redhead scurry down the hallway out of sight. He glanced back at L, cocking his head so his silky auburn hair fell into his eyes. "You have a weird brother."

"Oh I know I do." L muttered, cursing the day Mello met Matt and brought him into his life. He began to climb up the stairs.

Light's voice hummed with amusement. "Didn't see you in class today."

L shrugged. "I didn't see you either." He tilted his head forward so his heavy black fringe obscured his expression. "Were you even in class?"

Light let out a quiet laugh that had L's (literally) cold heart beating again. "Funny story there. I fell asleep in first period and nobody woke me. I spent three hours in that corner of the classroom before the professor finally kicked me out." He gave L a wry grin. "Nice of him to ignore me, it was the best sleep I ever had. Barely slept a wink all night." He fell into step easily beside the detective.

L tried to force a smile onto his frozen face. "Why didn't you sleep all night?"

Light laughed again. "Another funny story there, though I'm not going to elaborate. Let's just say it is a thrilling tale of supernatural stalkers with the ability to jump in and out of windows as they please."

L felt a touch reassured. The teenager seemed to be treating it like a joke, though how he could possibly be doing that was beyond him. "You are being stalked? Shouldn't you contact the police or something? It might not be safe…"

The brunet rolled his eyes. "I don't want to get everyone involved. Next thing my family will put me on house arrest. They've already done that twice to Sayu. Besides, my father is the police. I've snuck his spare gun out of his holster and kept it at my bedside, just in case." He nudged L's arm with his elbow. "You don't have to sound so worried, Ryuuzaki-san, it's okay."

"I'm not worried! I'm just…concerned. About a friend. Like a friend would be."

Light snickered. "Aw, just a friend? I was hoping for something more than that." Those amber eyes surveyed his expression. "I'm kidding, Ryuuzaki. Chill. I'm honoured to be your friend. Doesn't look like many people get to be."

L touched his thumb to his bottom lip. "No, many people don't get to be." He looked up at Light, studying his face as the teenager walked in step with him. "I fact, I think Raito-kun is my first ever friend."

There was a pause as L locked eyes with Light. The brunet blinked a few times, his expression melting from good-natured to suddenly blank. Good, it meant L had broken through one of his several masks. The teenager didn't seem to know which mask to replace it with, and so L could quite literally see him choosing to use his genuine reaction instead. The corners of his lips turned up as he looked away.

"Yeah, and I guess you're mine as well."

Now that he didn't expect. The detective felt every mental process screech to a halt as he stared at the brunet.

"My first real friend, I mean. Strange, isn't it? We've only ever talked in class before, but you seem to get me better than acquaintances I've had since middle school."

All the blood he had in his body flooded to his face, which burned as if he had rubbed it with lit coal. "I…I…thank you, Raito-kun…"

"You sure you're okay, Ryuuzaki? You look a little sick." They had arrived at class, and Light swept easily inside, brushing past several of their classmates as he made his way to the last row, to the benches where the more popular of the college students clustered. L hesitated, that area wasn't usually where he preferred to sit, considering their general disdain for his existence, but Light clearly meant for him to follow.

How had things gone so…well? Had Matt helped him along or did Light actually think of him this way? Like he was an actual…friend? The only person he had ever thought of as a friend before was Matt, and that was only because he had been Mello's human boyfriend for a while before the blonde converted him.

L nibbled on his fingernail as he followed Light down the aisle and stopped in front of his desk. The brunet slid in to give him a spot beside him, watching interestedly as L lifted his legs up onto the bench, sitting on the balls of his feet. The detective made sure to leave just enough space between them to be noticeable.

He saw Light give him an immensely entertained grin before turning his attention back to the front of the class, where the lecturer had just come in. L dug his hands into his pockets and found one old dusty gumdrop. He unwrapped it carefully and stuck it in his mouth. "Is something funny, Raito-kun?"

Light looked him over again, eyebrows raised as he smothered his smile. "No, absolutely not. Definitely not. You just…keep being you, Ryuuzaki."

"…I already was."

Light shook his head as he pulled one of his notebooks from his bag and flipped to the first blank page he could see. "Yes, you certainly were." There was a small pause before he gave him a sideways glance. "So, um, Ryuuzaki."

The detective looked over, tilting his head inquisitively. The brunet cleared his throat. "My friends and I were going out to this party Friday night. Tomorrow night, I mean."

L wrinkled his nose. "I thought they weren't your friends."

"Of course they're my friends. What are you insinuating?" The teenager elbowed him playfully. "Anyway, as I was saying. It's Misa's party, so it's bound to be torturous, but if I don't turn up she'll drive over to my place and get me in trouble with my parents again."

L eyed him suspiciously. "And…?"

"And, well. I figure you've never actually been to one of these, so you wouldn't mind accompanying me? It could be a learning experience, you know." Light turned to face him, giving him the most charming smile he had ever set eyes upon. It made the detective's fingers itch for his sketchbook. L had to put in conscious effort into not agreeing straight off the bat.

"For all of your 'real friend' declarations, Raito-kun…you must know I do not hang out in your crowd."

The dazzling grin dropped and Light looked slightly crestfallen. "Oh, alright. It's no problem. I'm sorry, I was a bit too forward." He swivelled back to his book and started to take down whatever notes the professor had scribbled onto the chalkboard. L felt the panic bubble in his throat.

"No!" He yelped, getting the attention of half the people sitting around them. He sniffed defiantly at the lot of them and met Light's alarmed honey-brown eyes. "No. I mean, no, you weren't too forward. I mean. Um."

Light cocked his head, the afternoon light from the windows turning his auburn hair golden. "Ryuuzaki, it's fine. I'm sorry. It was only a suggestion. Don't worry about it."

L popped another old gumdrop into his mouth and chewed it nervously, the taste of it popping on his tongue. "No, I'd really like to accompany you. I simply don't think your friends would appreciate me there."

Light's immediate smile was like a bucket of water poured on a fresh blister. "That's bullshit, Ryuuzaki. They wouldn't give a shit about you enough to resent you for anything. The party's going to be packed." The teenager shrugged, running a hand through his smooth brown hair. "No, the real reason I'm asking you there is because I want to hang out with you outside of class. You're a cool guy. I'd like to get to know you."

L's whole world slowed down. The murmurs of the people behind them flowed like molasses in the background, the very air entering and leaving his lungs went in slow-motion. The blood pumping through his slow-beating heart pounded in his ears, making it sound like he had a marching band in his brain.

Light was giving him an odd look, his pen twirling nervously between his fingers. He shut his eyes and sighed, looking away. "Okay, I'm really sorry. I didn't mean to put you on the spot. Please don't feel pressurised to do anything-"

The words rushed out of him in a storm. "I would love to come to your party, Raito-kun. I would absolutely love it. Please, tell me the time and place and I'll be there."

Light laughed. "You're so weird, Ryuuzaki. Well, I don't have a car, so I'm hitching a ride with Misa after class Friday evening. Is that okay?"

L blinked slowly. "I have a car."

"So you'll come on your own?"

Gathering his courage, L lifted his chin. "I'll give you a ride."

Light raised his eyebrows, but a smile tugged at his lips. "…Okay then. Sure thing. I accept. Pick me up at seven. Do you know where I live?"

It was only testament to how intoxicated Light's presence made him that the detective almost nodded yes.

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A/N: This chapter was originally part of the last one, but it was getting distractingly long so whatever XD thanks for the reviews! Feedback is appreciated! :D


	5. Murderers

Chapter 5: Murderers

Mello did not like washing up after a hunt.

"Watari, get out of the bathroom! I'm like eighty-five years old, damn it! I can wash myself fine. Just because you look older doesn't mean jack shit! Fuck it, can't I have some goddamn privacy?"

The old man was chuckling kindly. "But, Mello, this is my job. I have to make sure you don't carry any evidence of the trekker you mauled. This is your own fault. You shouldn't be killing humans, you know that. Can't you learn something from Matt, L and Near?"

Mello groaned. "Just because they're no fun…"

"Murder should never be referred to as fun, Mihael."

The boy's ice-blue eyes gave the English gentleman a once-over as he squatted on the linoleum floor of their downstairs bathroom. In the blonde's defence, the trekker had tried to call the police on him (it wasn't fair, how come he got cell reception in the middle of nowhere but Mello never did?), having seen the vampire ripping out the throat of some sort of a goat or deer with his teeth.

Humans shouldn't be allowed to wander around while vampires were in bloodlust, it was totally distracting and led to a disturbing amount of groping by Watari in the bathroom.

"Are you sure you left no evidence in the forest, Mihael?"

Mello shrugged. "Nope. Nothing. I checked."

"No hairs, fingerprints, clothing fibres?"

The blond vampire gave his guardian a doubtful look. "Clothing fibres? I was wearing _leather_. I'm _always_ wearing leather."

"Only checking, Mello. No need to be so very sour about it. There, we're all done now. Take a shower, I'll launder your clothes."

Grumbling, the blond man kept an eye on the Englishman until he shut the bathroom door behind him. It wasn't his fault he killed the trekker. He couldn't control himself during bloodlust, very few vampires could. It was only the passionless ones (case in point: Near) and the ones with such a tight leash on their emotions that they could barely breathe (Matt and L, definitely L, no matter how lovesick he got) who could manage it. Mello was neither. Mello was emotional and passionate and couldn't help himself from another bite even if his life depended on it. It was why Watari let him feed so often, because if he didn't and he lost control around humans in the city, they would all be screwed.

Now all the vampires would have to feed off of blood packs until the police dropped the case. He would probably get the silent treatment for this. Ugh. Matt would give him reproachful looks, Near would gloat with that leering smirk and L would be grouchier than usual. _It wasn't his fault_ , why didn't they understand that?

It was as he was pulling on a new pair of leather pants when he heard the door slam. Wonderful, so someone was back. Watari was probably informing them of their new incognito mode right this second. Mello hoped it was Near so that he could punch his smug little face right in the kisser ( _ugh_. The thought of Near kissing... Maybe he should have thought it during his bloodlust, it would have taken his appetite and flung it into the sea).

 _"Mello!"_ Ah, it was Matt. So he wouldn't be getting any tonight, if that tone was anything to judge by. "Mello, get here, you grade-A fuckwad!"

The blond man slipped his leather vest onto his bare chest and stalked outside. "What?"

The redhead had thrown off his goggles (bad sign), his blue eyes burning. His hair was messy and windblown, looking so damn sexy it wasn't fair. "Mello, you asshole, you knew I had to feed in two days!"

"Yes, it was quite an inconsiderate move." A measured monotone came from behind him. Near stepped into the house in his soft white pyjamas, his snowy hair bushy and overgrown as he twirled a finger in the curls. "Very predictable, though. Mello does not tend to think of anyone but himself. I suppose he used my car to get there and wrecked it."

The blonde snarled. "Fuck you, Near."

"No, fuck _you_ , Mello! Would it kill you to not murder innocent passers-by?" Matt ranted. "A blood pack? Again? When am I going to get to have an actual meal? You did this last month too!"

Mello wrung his hands together. "I can't help it! They just look so delicious!"

"Yeah, so feast away, you bastard. You have fun and make the rest of us pay for it." The redhead shot out, crossing his arms. Mello nearly threw something at his boyfriend, feeling a kind of hysteria overcome him. He opened his mouth to let out a fucking _tirade_ , but was interrupted when a pale hand fell on Matt's shoulder.

"It's not his fault, he doesn't do it on purpose."

Everyone blinked, blindsided as L sauntered inside with a serene air lighting his features. He was…standing straight, straighter than anyone had ever seen him in nearly a century. He gave the three of them a toothy smile. "You should be more careful, Mello. It would be nice to not live under the threat of being exposed as murderers." L patted Mello's shoulder as he passed him. "Would anyone like chocolate cake? I think I'm going to make some."

Everyone unanimously gaped as the detective whistled cheerily, disappearing into the kitchen. Slowly, a grin crept onto Matt's face.

"Aw, that is _adorable_." He strolled to where pots and pans were clanging about under the counter. "So you and Light hit it off, huh?"

"I suppose you could say that." Mello almost keeled over when he heard the smile in the detective's voice. He turned to Near and was gratified to see that he wasn't the only one stunned out of his mind. "He…invited me to a party tomorrow night."

Mello barked out a laugh just as Near gagged, fleeing the room. "Fuck, Matt! You work fast. It's literally only been fifteen hours since we found the sketchbook and you've already gotten them banging at a party, _fuck_."

"I do my best." Matt simpered, sauntering back to Mello as L gave them both a thankfully unpleasant glare from his position crouched on the kitchen floor.

"I do not like the connotations in your speech, Mello."

Mello hopped onto the counter, dangling his feet in front of L's face as the detective sieved his flour and butter. "No shit you don't like it. Sketchbook Boy is too uptight, doesn't look likely to give you any anytime soon. You have to _work_ it." He mused a second. "Though I have to say, he is hot."

"Shut up, Mello. Jeez." The redhead laughed, socking the blonde's shoulder. "You're not getting laid for a while either, you have nothing to brag about."

Mello scowled. "Matt…come on, buddy. I'm all depressed and stuff. Be nice."

"No. Fuck off." But with that grin he got, he was sure the redhead wasn't mad at him anymore. _Thank you, L._ Feeling generous towards the detective for once in his life, the blonde swaggered over to him and started to butter one of the baking trays.

* * *

There was a man in the corner of the room, again, but this time, he didn't stay there.

Light felt the adrenaline shoot through his veins as he scrambled to open up the drawer he kept the gun he had nicked from his father. Before he could yank it open, though, the stalker had seized him around the waist and thrown him onto his back on the bed.

The wind was knocked out of him, he gasped for a breath. He heaved forward to reach for the drawer again, his eyes widening in horror as the man took off his black sweatshirt to reveal a scrawny pale chest.

"No! No, get away from me! You said you wouldn't come back!" Light screamed in a panic, kicking out at the intruder, but it was no use. The man easily plucked up Light's wrists in one icy, stone-rough hand and whipped out a length of rope from behind him. The brunet's eyes widened.

"What are you doing?" His voice was hoarse with terror as the man pinned his wrists to the headboard of his bed and wound the rope tightly around them. The knotted texture dug into his skin as he struggled to get up to a sitting position. "No, no! Y-you said you won't come back! Please, please don't do this! _Father! Help! Somebody!"_ His screams faded into a choked, wavering gasp as the stalker suddenly gripped his jaw and tilted his face up.

The man's face was covered still by the dark scarf, but he could tell the black eyes peeking from over it were shining with mirth. "Quiet, we don't want to alarm your parents."

Light jerked his head to the side, shrieking. "No! No! Father! _Father!_ Don't do this! I-mph!" The creep, without warning, stuffed his balled-up sweatshirt into Light's mouth, cutting off his cries for help.

"What did I say? I said _quiet_. Are you too stupid to understand what that means?"

The teenager felt his eyes fill with humiliated tears as he fought his bonds. The gun, he had to get to the gun somehow, it was his only hope.

The stalker seemed satisfied with his work so far. He decided to slowly unbutton Light's own shirt, running his cold hands over the brunet's trembling figure. Light shook his head, trying frantically to spit out the gag but his muscles were locking in his fright. He kicked out at the stalker once again, but the man took this as a challenge, laughing gently as he climbed on top of the brunet's lap. "Oh, are you scared? Is the poor little boy scared?"

The teenager bucked hard, trying to topple the man from on top of him, but that only entertained him further, a chirpy laugh emerging from under the scarf as he clutched hold of the boy's wriggling body. "You don't want me here, do you? You don't want me touching you, oh I remember."

Light wrenched at the ropes tying him to the headboard, the splintering wood cutting into his skin. The creep cupped his face in his hands, stroking his skin gently. "It won't hurt, sweetheart. I'll be gentle." The brunet shook his head desperately, fighting helplessly against the weight holding him down.

"What is it?" The voice was condescending, patronising, slathered with sweetness. "You don't want me to be gentle? I'll do it however you want, don't worry. If you want it rough, I'll give it rough."

Light started to sob, his tears pooling in his eyes and blurring his vision. He shook his head again, leaning as far away from the man as he could. _Oh God, please no, fuck, fuck, fuck!_

There was a jolting crash as the bedroom door banged open. Light whipped his head to the side and could just barely make out the silhouette of a broad-shouldered man in the doorway.

"Raito?"

 _Father!_ Light felt tears of relief roll down his cheeks as he strained against the ropes. He tried to call out to him through the gag, bucking again to try and dislodge the stalker from on top of him. His father shuffled around near the doorway, and the room abruptly flooded with light. The stalker sitting atop him seemed to glow pale, his skin like softened ivory.

Light could suddenly see the position he was in with full clarity, the man on top of him, pinning him down with his knees. His wrists tied behind him, his nightshirt ripped open, the buttons scattered. The cupboard he kept the gun in was open, the weapon on display.

All Light had had to do was pick the gun up, _just pick it up_ , he had been unable to take it just as he had been unable to fight off his attacker with the knife the time before. He was incapable, he was _pitiful_.

Light looked up at his father and flinched as the severe face tightened in disappointment. "Raito." The older man breathed, and his tone was dripping with shame, contempt.

"What have I raised?" The words stung at him and burrowed under his skin. "Wretched coward. Can't fend for himself, can't protect himself. Pathetic." The chief of police shook his head, disgusted. "I have spoilt you. I have failed as a father."

Light was crying now and he couldn't stop. He hadn't cried for years but he couldn't stop now. He had to stop, his father wasn't going to feel better about him if he was weeping like a child, but it hurt, it all hurt, his incapacity, his helplessness, the man pinning him down grinning as he watched the father glower at his pitiful son.

"Please, Otou-san…" Light managed to gasp out under his gag, but all that brought out was the middle-aged man gripping the bridge of his nose as if warding off a headache.

"You cannot be my son." He spat out in revulsion. "My son is strong, he would never have let anyone take advantage of him." He frowned and turned away. "Do as you will with him, he is not my son."

 _No!_ Light fought his bonds with renewed desperation. _Father, no, don't leave!_

The door clicked shut, and he watched with wide eyes as the stalker turned his attention back to him. He whipped his scarf off, a manic leer growing on that all-too-familiar pale face. He wasn't a man anymore, he never was, it was never a man in the corner. Rosy lips parted to form a word.

"Raito?"

Light tried not to cry, but it all hurt so much, he was tired, he didn't want to fight anymore, he was so goddamn tired…

"Raito!"

 _Please stop, I can't take this, I'm not strong enough, I'm weak, I'm pathetic…_

 _"Onii-chan!"_

Light bolted awake, sitting straight up in bed, blood roaring in his ears. He was panting, his head spinning and jabbing sharply with pain as he squeezed his eyes shut and opened them again.

He looked around. It was his room but it was dark, the window was closed and air warm. The brunet was covered in sweat, and his face felt colder than usual. He reached up and wiped his cheek with the base of his palm: tears. He had been sobbing in his sleep.

Fuck, he had been asleep. It had been a dream.

"Onii-chan?" Light took a glimpse to his bedside and found, to his utter mortification, his little sister Sayu was kneeling there, her elbows on his mattress as she stared him down. Her face was white, her hair loose and falling in waves to her shoulders over her nightgown.

The brunet scrubbed at his cheeks and gave her a weak smile. "Hey, Sayu." His voice was rough, coarse.

The girl blinked her large chocolate eyes, the streetlight from the window throwing yellow sparks in their depths. "Onii-chan, you were screaming…and crying..." She looked back at the doorway. "Otou-san and Okaa-san didn't wake up but you scared me."

"I'm sorry."

Sayu's eyes widened. "What are you _sorry_ for? What did you dream about? Do you want to talk about it?"

Light squeezed his eyes shut and that pale face, that faceless man with his stone-hard arms floated under his eyelids, and that look of disappointment on his father's face, something he had never seen in real life. Never, not since he was a little child.

"No, Sayu, I've forgotten it already. I'm sorry I woke you. Go back to bed."

The girl pouted. "Onii-chan…!"

He rolled his eyes. "Get out of my room, Sayu. Do I have to lock it at night too? Seriously, all I want is some personal space."

His sister giggled. "It's too much to ask." She stood up and gave him a light kiss on the cheek. "If you remember it, don't forget to tell me. I'd really like to know what could make _Onii-chan_ scream like Hideki Ryuga's girlfriend in that horror movie."

Light grimaced. "Out, Sayu, before I chase you." The girl laughed merrily as she flitted out of the room, gently pulling the door shut behind her.

The brunet sighed, falling back onto his bed and crossing his arms under his head.

He spent the rest of the night staring at the ceiling.

.

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A/N: Poor Light. This is why you don't stalk people, L! You traumatise them! Anyway, thanks for the reviews! I really appreciate each one! :D


	6. Watching

Chapter 6: Watching

Even vampires needed to sleep sometime. It was much less often than a human needed it, perhaps once a week in a secure location, it helped recharge the muscles that worked overtime with much less blood supply than they were used to.

L had often wanted to do a study on vampire anatomy, but he supposed the whole point of them was supernatural, there was no way he could determine what actually kept them going.

The only vampiric element he had actually studied was the dynamics of their venom. When they bit into something, there was venom that was discharged from their canines. This venom could be sucked out, like for a snakebite, and had a euphoric effect on their victims that made them more pliable to drain.

There were options a vampire had once they had sunk their teeth into another living being. They could drain them completely and satisfy their thirst, or they could keep their victim alive in a euphoric state by only sucking in a token amount.

L often fantasised about doing the latter with Raito-kun. He could imagine the blissful, exhilarated smile on his pretty face, the happiness that would radiate out of him and the sweet, sweet taste of his blood.

He wasn't delusional, though. He knew he wasn't likely to ever experience it in real life because he would only bite Raito-kun if he was willing and Light was never going to find out he was a vampire.

There was also a third option: to convert their victim into a vampire as well. This option was much more complicated, and L had only seen it in action when Watari had converted Near and, in more detail, when Mello had converted Matt.

When Mello had been dating Matt, he had revealed his identity as a vampire right off the bat, and the redhead had taken it in stride, expressing interest in everything about him while nonchalantly playing his video games (L only wished Raito-kun would accept it so easily. He knew how complicated he would make it, he knew that nothing about Light was ever easy).

About a year or so after their first date, Matt had quite happily consented to being turned into a vampire and becoming a part of the Whammy family. He lived alone, after all, and his parents had died quite a while ago. It appeared to be an easy decision, so they had all gathered him in the living room, blood packs and IV drips ready, and Mello had proceeded to sink his sharpened canines into the flesh of Matt's shoulder.

The most alluring scent had emitted from the redhead, and every vampire in the room had snapped alert, staring hungrily at the mating pair until the human was completely drained and swelled purple with venom. It had taken approximately an hour for him to turn stiff and pale, and slowly start the process of being reborn.

The worst part of the whole ceremony was that L had felt this pull in the base of his stomach, the kind he felt when he was on his seventh day without feeding and a particularly pungent human crossed his path. It had taken every ounce of his self control to stay in his spot without breaking the pair apart and taking the redhead for himself.

If he had felt that strongly without a single ounce of emotional investment in Matt, he wondered how he would feel when he converted Light…

 _When he converted Light?_

L froze, his knees growing rigid under his chin as he sat on the hard bench in the back row in his first class of the day.

What had he just been thinking?

Cringing, he glanced at the boy slumbering peacefully next to him. Light was sleeping in class again, looking absolutely scrumptious (no, fuck, he would not think that!) as he snuggled into the nest of his elbow, his chest rising and falling with every breath. His cheeks were flushed, and his lips were pink and sore, looking like he had been biting them recently. His eyelashes were long and dark, his rusty hair fell over his brow, looking so soft to touch that L just couldn't help himself.

Quickly so that nobody around him could catch him, L inched closer to the boy and placed his long fingers in the mess of Light's hair, careful not to put in too much pressure and wake him.

It was soft, softer than he had imagined it to be, and silky enough to slip out of his fingers every time he moved them. The boy sighed, chewing his bottom lip in his sleep and L felt a pang of longing. He stroked the his hair soothingly, and the brunet let out a hushed sound somewhere between a gasp and a moan, tilting his head so L's cool fingers brushed the line of his ear instead of his hair.

L bit his lip to stifle his smile, taking in a deep breath to inhale his scent. Light always smelled so alluring, it was brilliant to just sit next to him and bask in it, especially right after he had fed. Powdered sugar and cookies fresh out of the oven, it reminded him of his childhood in Winchester, sitting in the bakery as he worked on decoding his homework.

"Hey! Stop doing that, you creep!" A screeching voice jarred him out of his temporary bliss. L whipped his head up to meet a pair of wide enraged hazel eyes leaning in from behind them. _Misa Amane_. She wore a pungent scent, as sharp as a vampire's, it corrupted Light's aura. The detective narrowed his eyes intimidatingly, but it didn't seem to work on her. "Don't you glare at me! Stop getting your hands all over my Raito!"

L paused. Well, he couldn't argue, what he was doing certainly did look creepy. He decided to be the pacifist. "There was a bug in his hair. I was only getting it out."

"Liar! You want to get your hands on my Raito! You _pervert!_ Stay away from him!"

 _"Amane-san."_ Another voice snapped loudly from the front of the class and everyone whirled around to stare at the two of them. The lecturer was glaring at the blond girl with his arms crossed self-righteously in front of him. "Would you like to share-"

L raised his hand. "She wanted to borrow a pen, and I have given it to her. Please continue with your class."

The professor seemed startled to have L Lawliet, class weirdo and guy-who-sat-with-his-feet-on-the-bench actually talking to him. L battled him back with his eerie blank stare, and the lecturer admitted defeat, continuing on with his lecture with a crisp nod.

L heard a sleepy hum beside him. He glanced over to see Light rubbing his eyes as he cocked his head at him. "Why'd you cover for Misa?"

"Because he is a _creep!_ " The model hissed from behind them. "Raito, stay away from him! He was touching your hair in your sleep like a pervert!"

Light pursed his lips, his eyes shuttering briefly.

"There was a bug in your hair." L said deadpan. Misa yelped indignantly.

"No there wasn't! He's lying because he's a total pervert! Don't talk to him, Raito!"

Light shushed her. "You'll get us in trouble. Don't be so loud."

"But-!"

Light rolled his eyes, adjusting his sleep-mussed hair. "Sorry, she's kind of…obsessive."

That prompted a shocked gasp. "Misa is not a liar! Raito, Misa is not lying, _he_ is! There wasn't a bug in your hair, ask anyone!"

Light refused to acknowledge her words, leaning on his hand as he gazed lazily at the animated lecturer gesturing at the blackboard.

L waited a few seconds for Light to start to nod off again, and glimpsed over his shoulder sneer smugly at the smouldering model.

…

"Is this going to be a long-term thing?" Near asked, fiddling with his finger puppets with one hand buried in the snowy locks of his hair.

As expected, his question drew a disapproving glance from Matt and an irritated huff from Mello (who he knew agreed with him on some level but would never admit it because God forbid he had something in common with _Near_ ). The redhead pushed his orange-tinted goggles up over his forehead. "Shut up, Near."

"Do you not agree that this is one of the most aggravating things in our lives at this moment?" The white-haired boy pulled out a marker and scribbled busily on the blank face of his newest puppet, laying out the rest of them neatly on the seat of their car as they waited for L to arrive.

The waiting part was Matt's idea. Usually, they would all leave whenever they wanted to, using their own individual cars, but today L had given Matt and Near a lift, which meant they didn't have their own rides. Mello wasn't likely to help him out in this lifetime even if he offered to Matt, so the redhead had suggested that they all go together.

Besides, Near could tell Matt was waiting with bated breath for more news on L's romance, as if there was anything of any importance in that topic. The white-haired boy sighed, pulling out his sewing needle and hand-stitching on the hair for his puppet.

Mello groaned. "Yep. There he comes, the fucking loser."

Near glanced up from under his hair to spy the former detective ambling over with his usual slouch (the very slouch Near tried so very hard to mimic). However, what was unusual about the sight was the company hanging around him.

Matt grinned, nudging his boyfriend. "That's him. Sketchbook Boy."

"They're friends now, eh, Matty? You're fucking amazing." Mello smirked, crossing his arms.

The redhead elbowed the blonde in the ribs. "You're not going to flatter me into forgiving you, Mello."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever you say. I'm not worried, you can't resist me for long."

Matt cocked an eyebrow. " _I_ can't resist you? You're digging your own fucking grave."

The blonde smirked seductively, leaning in to brush his lips against Matt's cheek. "Sometimes, I wonder if you forget we're vampires, Matt."

Disgusted, Near turned away. God, these romantic couples were driving him insane. He looked back at his mentor, who was still shuffling down the gravel path leading from the main building of the college to the parking lot with his brunet friend, Yagami Raito, at his side, talking animatedly while grinning like a cat with cream. A sulky blond woman tailed them both, along with a group of teenagers of L's friend's age who seemed too prim and well-groomed to be of L's usual company.

Now that they had entered the parking lot, the white-haired boy faced the dilemma of either forcing his idiotic companions to shut up in order to focus on what they were saying or just mind his own business and finish stitching his puppet's neat brown hair.

Unfortunately (or fortunately), it wasn't a dilemma for long because the minute L spotted the car waiting for him, he made the wise move of detaching from his friend as hurriedly as possible. Near watched as he backed away from him with that insane smile on his face, obviously muttering some excuse to ensure that Mello and Matt didn't have the time to embarrass him in front of what looked like the entirety of the first year popular clique.

Yagami Raito looked highly amused, patting his shoulder gently as if telling him to relax. The blond woman behind them seemed to hiss at him, making the brunet glance back and snap something harsh that had her falling silent.

With that, L ducked his head at the brunet and walked quickly in the direction of the Whammy convertible. Near sighed, stitching in the final touches on his brunet puppet and sticking it on his little finger. _Looks like this one is here to stay_.

The door on his side of the backseat opened and L made to slide inside, glancing momentarily at the puppets Near scooped up and jammed onto the rest of his fingers.

"Hello, Ryuuzaki." The white-blond boy nodded sharply.

"Good evening, Nate."

Mello snorted. "Look out, Matt, gay Don Juan is here!"

"Now there's a man I cannot resist!" Matt made to swoon, then shoved his red hair out of his eyes and grinned. "How was your conquest, Don?"

L started to answer, but at that very moment their attention was caught by the bright red sports car that pulled out of its spot and drew up right behind their convertible. The tinted window lowered and a horrendously popular Ryuga Hideki song filled the air.

Light Yagami's attractive face popped out to greet them. He smiled charmingly at L. "Seven's fine, right? If you're ditching me, call first."

L's blank façade broke to reveal the widest, shyest smile Near had ever had the misfortune to witness. The white-haired boy cringed, his finger twirling nervously into his hair. "I won't ditch you, Raito-kun." The detective said in a voice that made mockery of his usual monotone.

"Great. See you, then." The teenager gave the rest of the people in the car a once-over before disappearing back into the chaos within his blond companion's car. L whispered a goodbye as the car zoomed off, snuggling into his seat and chewing contentedly at his fingernail.

"Look at that sweet car. Misa's got one hell of a ride. Maybe we should replace Near's car with this one." Mello whistled.

"He thinks you're going to ditch? He doesn't know one thing about you, does he?" Matt jeered, making Mello snort.

"Thirsty, that's what you are. You wouldn't ditch him even if he was taking you to an axe murderer convention."

"Axe murderer convention? The fuck, Mello?" Matt stared at his boyfriend.

Near cleared his throat. "Amane Misa, did you say? Was she the blond girl in the car with Yagami Raito?"

L glanced curiously at him. "Yes. Why?"

"No reason." Near said enigmatically, adjusting his puppets on his hand, making sure to display the brown-haired one with the red tie in all its finished glory to the detective, revelling in his wide-eyed reaction.

It didn't seem like his collection was over, though. He'd have to get another blank puppet and sew on a head of blond hair, pattern it with the reddest lipstick he could find. By the scathingly jealous look she was giving L from the driver's seat of her sports car (as well as the flash of white teeth Near had spotted), it didn't look like Misa Amane's part in L's story was over anytime soon.

.

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A/N: Yay Near! I never really liked him in the anime but it turns out he is very very fun to write XD give me some reviews!


	7. Fight

Chapter 7: Fight

L was going to regret this, he knew it for a fact, and yet he was doing it anyway.

He stood in front of his mirror in his cleanest white button-up, pulling on a pair of freshly-laundered black trousers and grimacing at himself. For someone who had lived for nearly a century, he sure hadn't accumulated a lot of clothing, it was either this or his array of identical white sweatshirts and saggy jeans.

L remembered a little tryst in Paris a couple of decades ago when he had managed to buy himself a tuxedo, but in the chaos that had followed Mello's outburst that night, they had left all of their fancy clothing inside their apartments. It was too bad, he had liked that tuxedo. It had had the effect of making quite a few men and woman flirt with him, which was an interesting experience to say the least.

He ran a hand through his wild raven hair, wondering if he should brush it or something. Raito-kun always managed to have his hair looking absolutely perfect no matter what, and L knew he worked at it because it didn't look that way when he woke up. Did L have to work at it too? Did Light like things to be that way?

With a groan, he shook out his hair and stomped off to find a piece of cake to eat. This wasn't for him, caring about appearances and what people think. Why was Light making him do this? Couldn't he just look at him and realise what kind of a person he was?

L had just swung the door of the fridge open and pulled out the dish of day-old chocolate cake when Matt sauntered into the kitchen wearing a brand-new leather jacket and his slightly fancier long-sleeved striped shirt. He paused, watching the redheaded vampire grab one of his cigarettes from the pack he had hidden in the cupboard and stroll back out.

"Matt?" L called suspiciously. "Where are _you_ going?"

The vampire stuck his head back into the kitchen, the cigarette dangling from his lip. "Sorry?"

"You look like you're going somewhere."

The redhead smiled cockily. "To Amane Misa's party, of course. Speaking of which, can we carpool? Near's car is still totalled from what Mello did to it during his bloodlust and he's not going to give Near a ride." Matt took a puff of his cigarette, the smoke clouding around his goggles. "He's kind of an ungrateful bitch, isn't he?"

L felt the blood drain from his face. "You're…all coming?"

Matt cocked his head. "Yes, we are."

"Were you even invited?"

Mello sneered as he came in, shoving past Matt and shovelling out a particularly large candy bar, snapping off a large piece with his teeth. "We don't need an invitation, idiot. We're going with Light Yagami." He said through a mouthful of chocolate.

"You most definitely are not."

Matt leaned back against the wall and puffed his cigarette. "Chill out, L. I'm sure he won't mind."

"And even if he does, he's not going to _say_ it." Mello snarked. "If anyone has a stick up his butt as deep as Sketchbook Boy, let me know."

L adjusted his stance, rolling back his shoulders and curling his hands into fists. "Mello. This is my final warning. You will not come."

Matt held up his hands. "Now wait one second…"

L's blond successor smirked. "Or what, L?"

L's leg shot out from under him and struck the blonde in the face, sending him sprawling back on the floor. With a growl, he propelled himself up and hurled himself at the detective, throwing a punch at his jaw. "You ruined my chocolate!" Mello screamed.

L decided it would be better if he didn't break any of the vampire's bones, so he settled for whacking the blonde in the chest. Mello attempted to get in a shot to his stomach but L deflected it with his wrist and kneed his successor in the balls, sending him whimpering back, bent double. The detective snarled, baring his long white fangs. "Did you really think you'd win against me in a fight, _Mihael Keehl?_ "

"Jesus, L." Matt breathed, rushing to Mello's quivering form. "What is your problem?"

L paused a second and withdrew his fangs, running his tongue over his lips. "It's quite simple. I don't want you embarrassing me in front of Raito-kun."

"Well, too bad! We're coming along and there's nothing you can do to stop us!" Mello rasped, getting back to his feet. L felt a kind of rage overwhelm him that he hadn't felt in a while, the blood rushing to his face.

" _Nothing_ I can do to stop you?" He took a few steps forward and readied himself to send the blonde flying out of the fucking window, Matt or no Matt, but at that very moment Near appeared in the doorway, holding a long serrated knife in his hands. Everybody in the kitchen looked at him, puzzled.

The white-blond boy twirled a finger in his dense hair. "I slashed the tyres on L's car. I think we can stop the fighting now."

L's mouth dropped open. "What?"

Mello cheered as well as he could while protecting his sore nether regions. "Haha! Now you have no choice!"

"Of course I have a choice! I'd rather walk!" L retorted, but he only earned a quiet sigh from his first-ranked successor.

"L, you promised your friend that you will give him a ride to Amane-san's house. You cannot walk, and you know that very well. Could we please quit the theatrics and go?"

"Why do _you_ even want to go, Near?" L snapped. "You aren't a party person any more than I am."

A slow smile split the boy's face, and L felt the uncontrollable urge to punch it right off. He knew what was coming next. "Well, solving cases as the official L does get boring after a point. I suppose I want a break."

Matt chortled. "You deserved that, asshole."

L shook his head, disgusted. "Fine. Just, fine. We'll take Mello's car, but you three better not embarrass me or I will repay you in full."

"Noted." Near said, turning quickly on his heel and slouching off in his white pyjamas to the front door. Leather-clad Mello followed, sending a poisonous glare at him, and L wondered why he had bothered agonising over his appearance at all.

.

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A/N: I give Near a 10/10 XD next chapter is the first one of the party arc! Yay!


	8. Scent

Chapter 8: Scent

For once, Light did not feel like lounging around in his room.

He'd been reluctant to go in there for a while now, ever since the whole stalker incident, though he knew the sentiment was irrational. He had secured the place, installed shutters over his window and built a flap under his bed for his gun to be securely hidden without being accidentally found by Sayu or anyone else meddling through his stuff. He didn't have to worry about the stalker anymore. If the man tried to do anything major, all he had to do was inform his father about it. It was simple, he didn't have to become so paranoid.

But whatever it was, sitting on his bed made him feel itchy all over. He liked studying under his stairs nowadays, not that that was a bad place to be. There was a hanging light right above where he liked to squat, so it was bright and convenient enough. Besides, nobody really expected him to be there so it was relatively private as well. The only problem was the lack of internet access, but he could manage with what he got.

He flipped casually through the textbook left open on his lap, jumping when he heard the front door slam. "I'm home." A gravelly male voice called, eliciting a shriek as Sayu came bounding down the stairs and barrelled into the man.

"Otou-san! Good evening! You're early!" The girl shouted, and their father chuckled.

"Yes, Sayu. I wasn't getting much progress with my current case, so I thought I'd come back to spend some time with you all." Light's ears pricked up at that. _Ask him what his case is about, Sayu, come on._

No such luck. "That's awesome! Hideki Ryuga's special is coming on right now! Come watch with me, Otou-san! Okaa-san is making dinner, she'll be glad you came. Onii-chan didn't tell her he was going out so she made too much."

Light shook his head, rolling his eyes as he continued to skim through his textbook.

"Is that so? Is your brother out right now?" His father sounded disappointed. "I'd thought I would run the case by him, he always has an interesting perspective on things."

Light suppressed a smile. He liked hearing about how much his father respected his deductive skills, it stroked his ego. He glanced at them from his perch under the stairs. He was shielded from direct view, but he could see the two of them standing around, his father in his police uniform with bags around his eyes and that wilted expression that could only be cured by a full night's sleep; his sister with her bright eyes and cheery smile, holding her father's briefcase in her hands as she bobbed around, full of energy.

"No, Onii-chan didn't leave yet, I think he's in his room. Wait, I'll go call him down." She chirped, bounding up the stairs again. Her every step pounded in Light's skull, he wished she could just calm down a bit and not stomp around like she had just had fifteen energy drinks in one shot (not an unlikely possibility).

He ran his fingers nervously through his fringe. He wasn't quite sure what he was supposed to do. He didn't want to look weird in his father's eyes, sitting under the stairs like a homeless person, but it would just look weirder if Sayu turned up empty-handed and they found him after that, eavesdropping on their conversation.

Oh well, he had to do it sometime. He closed his book with a sigh. "I'm over here, Otou-san." He stood up, giving his father the fright of his life. The middle-aged man staggered back with wide eyes.

"What on Earth are you doing, Raito?"

Light held up his textbook with a wry smile. "Thought a change of scene would help."

Soichiro Yagami eyed him suspiciously. "Wouldn't Sayu's Hideki Ryuga program disturb you here?"

The teenager shrugged. "Not particularly. I can tune it out, it's a bunch of nonsense."

"Hey!" Sayu protested as she trudged back downstairs. "It is _not_ a bunch of nonsense, it's awesome. And have you been there this entire time? How did I not see you?"

Light smirked. "Maybe you should try paying attention." He turned back to his father, smiling politely. "You mentioned something about a case, Otou-san?"

"Yes, of course." The middle-aged man went over to take his briefcase from his daughter, then gave his son a quick once over, noting the silky black shirt he wore over blue jeans. "It can wait if you're going out, son."

Light chuckled pleasantly. "No worries, I'm not on a tight schedule or anything. What's the case about?"

The chief of police took his briefcase over to the kitchen table, where his wife was putting out the plates. She stopped and stared at him for a second before bowing. "Oh, anata! You're home!"

"Yes, hello, Sachiko." He pulled his files from the bag and opened them up on the table, on top of the plates. His wife gave him a quietly disapproving look and retreated back to her simmering stew.

"It is a missing person's case. Kousaka Ouji, twenty year old male, went hiking last morning around eleven a.m. He was expected back that evening but never turned up"

Light gave his father a doubtful look as he flipped through the case files. "What's special about that? He could have got lost or…oh."

His father pressed his lips together. "Exactly."

Light stared at the picture of the dead body they had recovered from a neatly packed mound of dirt. "Oh, wow. That's not a wild animal for sure."

"Yes, we presume it to be a homicide. No matter how badly he is injured by an animal or any such thing, he would not have been completely drained of all of his blood or left whole and untouched this way apart from a blow to his head and bite mark on his shoulder."

Light bit his lip, studying the picture of the man's white corpse. "His profile is typical, young man in the woods alone. I think he was randomly selected, he didn't have any connection to his murderer." He looked up at his father, deep in thought. "He must have crossed his path by accident during the hike."

Soichiro frowned. "He could have been lured there to the middle of the forest or stalked."

Light flinched at the word. "Yes, well, the murder itself seems to have been done hurriedly, as if the murderer wasn't prepared right at that moment to come across his victim. Look at the method of killing, it was a blow to the head from the front, the hiker had been facing him, probably finding the killer doing something illicit. Suggests a drug dealer or someone getting rid of evidence of criminal activity, like a previous murder, something explicit enough to draw a passer-by's suspicion. Post-mortem, everything seems more planned out. The draining of the blood, the bite, the burial of the body to remove evidence."

The doorbell rang loudly, jarring them out of their reflections. Sayu's footsteps were loud as she abandoned her Hideki special once more. "I'll get it!"

Soichiro gestured for Light to continue with a most flatteringly attentive expression on his face, so the teenager turned back to the file. "I think the murderer is someone who has killed before, a criminal with some sort of perversion linked to blood. Considering the handling of the body, it's likely they will kill again, and the victim will be another hiker or homeless person, a person who frequents these abandoned places."

"Onii-chaaaan! It's for you!"

Light glanced up from the kitchen at the front door, where he spotted a slouching figure in a white shirt fidgeting as he spoke quietly with Sayu. The man looked up and met his eyes with those wide-set black orbs, pushing back his heavy raven fringe. Light realised there was an involuntary smile tugging his lips up and ducked his head, stepping away from the table.

"I'll be going now, Otou-san. I hope I was of some help."

His father seemed to be smiling as well, which was strange. "You always are. Thank you, Raito." He patted his son on the shoulder. "Won't you introduce your friend?"

"Oh." His eyes darted from Ryuuzaki to his father and back. "That's Ryuuzaki. I, um." Why was he babbling? This wasn't like him, he was too used to his silver tongue to adapt to this weirdness. His father chuckled heartily, unsettling him.

"It's alright, Raito. Go on. I hope I'll see you before midnight."

Light bobbed his head and slunk out of the kitchen, not really sure what was wrong with him. He passed Sayu in the hallway, noticing her awestruck expression as she watched him go dissolve into giggles. He touched his face as he went up to the pale man on his front step, giving her a sharp look.

"Hey, Ryuuzaki." He knew there was nothing on his face, he had been quite thorough in front of the mirror earlier. "Right on time. Let's go."

"Hello to you too, Raito-kun." The black-haired man said in his usual monotone, following him as he walked crisply out the door and pulled it closed behind him. "That was Soichiro Yagami, chief of the NPA?"

Light tilted his head curiously. "That was my dad, yes."

Ryuuzaki smiled. "I have heard of his work. I _suspected_ that he would be using your intellect to solve his cases."

That had Light grinning. "I don't help that much, Ryuuzaki, just sometimes to give him a fresh perspective."

"I have noticed, Raito-kun, that you only ever use false modesty."

"Fuck off." Light elbowed the man, their shoulders brushing as they walked out of the Yagami porch into the street. "Where is your car?"

"I parked it further down. I remembered you saying something about Amane-san getting you in trouble because she turned up at your house and didn't want to make that mistake."

Light laughed. "That wasn't what I meant. You're not _Misa_. The only possible cons of hanging out with you would probably be looking very boring to the people around us."

Ryuuzaki stuck his thumbnail into his mouth and started to nibble. "Yes, I suppose that would be true if it was only the two of us."

"…it's not?"

Ryuuzaki bit hard into his fingernail and glared at the ground, his fringe shadowing his eyes. "My brothers slashed my tyres in an attempt to get into Amane-san's party with me. So they will be accompanying us."

Light blinked. "They did _what?"_

The black-haired man looked up at him with a mournful expression. "I hope you do not mind too much, Raito-kun."

" _I_ don't mind? Your brothers _slashed your tyres?_ Are they psychotic?"

His companion turned to him with the most serious face he had ever seen on him. "I warn you not to make sudden movements around them. They do love their knives."

Light snorted. "Doesn't everyone?"

Ryuuzaki raised his eyebrows at him as they approached a bright yellow car painted with black stripes, Light remembered it from the parking lot, it was always parked next to Ryuuzaki's convertible. "I'm not surprised. You are the blade-wielding type as well."

"Again, isn't everyone?" Light stopped by the car and gave Ryuuzaki an appreciative glance. "Nice car."

Ryuuzaki yanked at the car door with a sigh and held it open for Light like a proper gentleman. "It's my brother's."

"Obviously." The brunet rolled his eyes as he slipped inside, the black-haired man hopping beside him and pulling his legs up so his knees rested under his chin.

Light glanced around to find three pairs of eyes staring unblinkingly, almost hungrily at him. Reluctantly, realising that Ryuuzaki's warning about not making sudden movements had more merit than he had initially thought, he gave them a fluttering of his fingers.

"Um, hello."

* * *

 _Fuck, he smelled so good._

Near curled up tighter in his crouch on the car seat, his finger tugging painfully at his shaggy hair. Maybe he should have stayed at home after all. Maybe he should have let L and Mello fight it out and not have meddled with L's car, maybe he should just have answered another of Detective L's emails and not agreed to leave the house at all because he wasn't sure he could stand another second confined in the car next to Light Yagami.

 _Holy shit, that was lovely. Was that mud after rain? He had always loved that smell, it was what Whammy's House had smelled like before the vampire attack…_

Near let out a muffled whine, slamming his finger against the button that slid open the window and taking a desperate gulp of fresh air. He noticed the human get uncomfortable beside him, fidgeting and sending quizzical glances at L. L himself was busy giving Near a scathing look. They were all ignoring Mello and Matt's jittery jokes, those two were too affected by Light's scent to manage to even peek at the backseat.

After a few minutes of awkward silence, L's brunet friend cleared his throat. "So, River-san? You're Ryuuzaki's brother too? I'd never have guessed." His laugh was stilted.

 _Wait a second_. Near's head snapped up, his large black eyes boring into Light's chestnut ones. "How do you know that name?"

His smile looked strained. "We're in the same class."

"In all my classes, I go by the name Near."

Light glanced doubtfully at L. "I assumed that was a nickname."

"Whether it is or not is irrelevant. How did you find out the name River?"

"Um." The human seemed to be regretting starting this conversation. "You used it as your alias in that online doubles chess tournament. You and…Mihael Keehl, I believe. My partner Mikami traced you both after we got into that stalemate."

Near felt a chill go through his spine. _"You_ are Kira?" He thought for a second. "That was a very good game."

"Yeah. It was." Light Yagami grinned. "We should play it again sometime, in person maybe. I'm pretty sure I could beat you if I watched your expressions."

"I doubt that, I am not a very expressive person."

The human smirked cockily. "Want to bet on that?" He leaned slightly towards Near and the white-blond boy got a noseful of that irresistible scent. "If I can read Ryuuzaki, you'll be a piece of cake. No offense."

Near tried not to breathe in. "None…none taken." He turned away from the teenager, trying to fill his lungs with the cool night air. _Goddamn it all, he should have stayed inside_.

"Are you okay, Nate-san?"

L's voice piped up, full of distaste and disapproval. "Near gets carsick. Don't mind him, Raito-kun."

"Oh, alright." The human said, and Near detected him inching away from him. _Thank god._

Near didn't know how L had been resisting the brunet for so long. The sheer number of blood packs he had consumed before this didn't explain it. If it was he who had fallen for this human, Light Yagami would have become a vampire months ago, damn the consequences.

The car turned into a street lined with large, expensive houses on each side. In a city like Tokyo, finding individual houses this size was a refreshing change. With Misa Amane being a B-list pop singer and model, though, it was to be expected. Mello screeched violently into an empty spot on the curb, the occupants of the car swaying with the force. Light Yagami's shoulder bumped against Near's, and the first-ranked successor knew that one more provocation would have been enough to have him going for the teenager's neck.

It wasn't often Near lost his cool this way. He was glad Mello had fed only yesterday, he didn't know _what_ L would do if any of them happened to attack his precious Raito-kun.

"So, uh, Ryuuzaki." The teenager in question grinned. "I'm sorry in advance for Misa."

.

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A/N: I always enjoy writing Light's family, they have such an interesting dynamic XD


	9. Flirting

Chapter 9: Flirting

It was as they were walking along the packed curb to the house reverberating with music and people that Light thought once more about why they were actually here.

He hadn't lied to Ryuuzaki about anything, Misa would definitely have tracked him down and made a scene in front of his mother and sister if he had considered skipping out on one of her beloved parties. And he definitely wanted to get to know his freaky classmate better, there was no doubt about that.

But those weren't the reasons he had planned to come. That reason stretched a little further back to two days ago, the morning after the incident in his room. His nap in class, cold hands shaking him awake, cold hands encircling him, cold lips kissing his cheek in the cafeteria.

As cold and unyielding as the hands that had pinned him onto his bed.

He had never really noticed Amane Misa's touch before this, he had never actually paid attention to her, and that had been his mistake. Maybe if he had been watching closer, he would not have missed the deranged creep behind those big hazel eyes.

Light only knew five things about his stalker: he or she was faster and stronger than him, had used a false voice to speak to him, had an unnaturally cold grip, was obsessed enough to sneak into his room and had black hair under their hood.

He had tested her over these two days. He had tested her strength by inviting her over for a game of tennis (she was much, much stronger than she looked), he already knew how fast she was, and how obsessed she was with him was obvious.

Just to be certain, though, he had made sure to travel home exclusively with her in her sports car for these two days, always making sure to leave witnesses before they left. That way, if he was found murdered in a ditch somewhere, she would have been the prime suspect.

His tests had come out pretty much positive. Both times, the girl had taken random detours that left him crossing his fingers and hoping he would come out of this alive, both times he had had to insist that she drop him off where they were, both times she had forced a kiss on him (a cold, tough kiss that only confirmed his suspicions) before she let him out.

All Light had to do to close the case was go through her room. He had to find her black wig, evidence of her obsession and manipulate her into telling him how she got into his room in the first place. Three things on his checklist.

A warm hand pressed into his, squeezing his palm tightly. Light glanced to his side to find Ryuuzaki staring at him with those large, mirror-black eyes, his pale lips and cheeks pinked for once, as if he had sat out in the sun too long. Light hadn't noticed him looking this flushed in the house, he had been too distracted by his actual presence.

The black-haired man stuck the index finger of his free hand into his mouth. "Raito-kun has an ambiguous expression on his face. I am not sure it bodes well for anyone."

Light felt a warmth fill him as he laughed, knocking Ryuuzaki's hand out of his mouth. "You should really get rid of that habit, it's gross."

Those humungous black eyes blinked blankly at him. "Raito-kun finds me gross?"

"Yes, you're disgusting." He said as they stepped onto Misa Amane's crowded porch and meandered through the constantly present people to get to the doorbell. "You bite your nails and it looks like you haven't brushed your hair in a week."

His eyes grew wider, and Light felt like he could just fall headfirst into them and drown in an abyss. Ryuuzaki's smile dropped. "Does my appearance offend Raito-kun? I did not mean for it to."

Light tried not to laugh, but that was always exceptionally hard around this man. He took in his deepening flush, his discreet tugging of his hand from Light's and his eyes sweeping the surroundings in complete embarrassment.

Ryuuzaki hadn't seemed like the kind of person who could _get_ embarrassed, it was fascinating to see.

They reached the doorbell, and, on a whim, Light flipped them around, shoving his friend against the wall and leaning in close. "Your appearance _does_ offend me, Ryuuzaki." He watched as the blood in the black-haired man's face suddenly drained…and the brunet just couldn't help himself. His lips brushed his cheek. " _I'm_ supposed to be the hot one here." Light whispered into his ear, running his fingers along Ryuuzaki's collarbone. "You should get rid of that sweatshirt more often." He nipped the shell of his ear and pushed away from him with a smirk. _God, he had wanted to do that for a long time_.

Light had drawn back grinning, but instantly sobered when he saw how pale his friend had gone. There was a sheen of sweat over his upper lip, his skin seemed cold and clammy. He had his lips pressed tightly closed and eyes trained to the ground.

The brunet felt a stone drop in the depths of his stomach. "Ryuuzaki? I was just kidding. Fuck, that was so stupid, I'm sorry. Hey, are you okay?" He stepped back, keeping his palms raised. "I'll give you space. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable."

The black-haired man shook his head, but couldn't lift his gaze. His voice was quiet, gravelly. "Please give me a minute, Raito-kun." His eyes flicked momentarily to catch his. "I am just…unused to contact."

"Wow, I'm such an asshole. I'm not usually this weird, believe me."

"No, Raito, it's not your fault." His friend murmured. "I need a second to gather myself. …If you will please back away from me a bit."

Light stared at him, mortified. "Right, okay. I-I'm sorry."

 _What had possessed him to do that?_ He didn't even know if Ryuuzaki reciprocated his feelings, he had never tested it. He didn't know if his friend gave a single shit about him.

Fuck, he had made a mess of everything, this was so stupid, this was the worst idea he had ever had. He should just have come alone. Yes, that would have taken away his emergency ride back and given him one less witness/backup, but fuck it, he could have flirted with anyone here and gotten both.

The brunet ducked his head and reached over Ryuuzaki to ring the doorbell, crossing his arms over his chest as he waited for Misa Amane to answer it and start the first step of his master plan.

* * *

L could barely breathe.

What he wouldn't give to hold down that boy and ravage him right that minute, show him what a vampire was really capable of. Just sink his teeth into that smooth skin and watch the blood trickle down. Drink in that alluring scent, kiss those soft lips that had barely wafted over him as he sang that teasing voice into his ear…

The detective struggled to gain control of himself. He hadn't been ready, he hadn't imagined that Light would ever get that close to him of his own accord, let alone _flirt_ with him.

Three blood packs. Three whole packs, more than a usual vampire had in months and it hadn't been enough to block out his scent. Recalling the scent, that earthy, otherworldly fragrance, sent tremors down his spine, _he had to get himself under control_.

"Raitoooo! You came!"

"Yes, Misa. I, um, brought Ryuuzaki. He'll just…hang out, I guess."

"Oh, him. Why did you bring _him_ , Raito?"

"Well…I just wanted to. Can we come in?"

Misa must have nodded yes because the slim young man beside him disappeared into the room without a backward glance, taking his cloud of scent with him. L finally took in a deep breath, catching whiffs of other humans but barely giving a shit. When he had his Raito-kun so close, none of the others seemed to matter in the slightest.

As he breathed in and out to stabilise his emotional state, he caught the distinct stench of a vampire nearby. He wouldn't stand it if one of his brothers had witnessed his torture, especially with how they had behaved in the car, like Light had been a piece of meat on display. He felt a jolt of anger run through him.

They had no right to act that way. They had no right to catch a single trace of Light, much less bask in it. The last thing he wanted to do was see them right now, so L went against his better judgement and entered the residence of Misa Amane.

Strangely, the vampiric scent only got stronger within the house. Did one of them get inside without L seeing? It wasn't hard to imagine, L had been in a trance after Light did what he did, but damn it, he didn't want to run across one of them…did he?

An idea struck him. He shoved through a nearby pack of people to get to the crowded living room, which was decorated with a long table full of strange alcoholic drinks and enough sugar to have made L ecstatic even during a bloodlust. He still managed to elbow his way to a particularly delicious-looking plate of sugar cookies and grabbed ten, stuffing them into his pockets as he hunted for his brothers.

He took in a deep sniff, blocking out the aroma of the cookies to catch the trail of the vampire. Scents were hard for L, he wasn't a very sensory person. His talents lay mostly in speed and agility. Mello and Matt were the sensitive ones (there was nobody in the Whammy household who could match Matt's eyesight, it was why he wore tinted goggles so often).

The trail seemed to be leading into the kitchen, where the crowd was thickest. L shoved through, looking around until he spotted a flash of blond hair. "Mello! Mello, I need your help-" He grabbed at the shoulder and flinched back when he touched cold, soft skin. Misa Amane suddenly appeared in front of him in her sleeveless crimson dress, her lipstick painted dark under a bouncy mess of ringlets.

"Ryuuzaki-san." She spat out. "What do _you_ want? Where is Raito?"

L shrugged, frowning at her as bit into his thumbnail. "I am not sure, he must be socialising." He took a long sniff. The girl was absolutely drenched in the sharp stench of vampires, the clean, striking smell that hit hard and didn't leave easily. For Misa to be this suffused with the odour would mean she had been making out with either Mello or Near recently (and he could bet it wasn't Near). "Have you seen my brother around here? He is blond and tall, wears a leather jacket."

She rolled her eyes. "Find your brothers yourself. Misa is looking for _Raito_." Without a second glance, the girl pushed past him, making sure to wham hard into him with her shoulder. He gave her a resentful look as he continued on his quest to find his idiot brothers. Really, did his second-ranked successor have such low standards? And was Matt okay with this?

It took awhile before he finally tracked Matt down by the beer-pong table, cheering on Mello as the blonde chugged down a long flask of alcohol beside his competitor, a tall woman with short black hair and bright red lipstick. It wasn't a fair match, vampires needed a lot more to get drunk than a regular human, but this woman seemed to be holding her own somehow.

L grasped Matt by the upper arm, tearing him away from the crowd. "Matt. I need your help."

The redhead blinked up at him through his orange-tinted goggles. "Sure, L. Ryuuzaki, sorry. What do you want?"

L took a deep breath. "I need to feed."

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A/N: And here we begin the much awaited party XD review me! The feedback helps me improve!


	10. Evidence

Chapter 10: Evidence

Light only realised how very creepy he himself was when he entered Misa Amane's room and swung the door gently shut behind him.

It was dark, and he knew he couldn't switch on the lights or someone might come in and catch him. He couldn't lock the door, that would be suspicious, so he had to have a hiding spot ready in case some idiots came in and started eating each other's faces.

Light looked around. This room was full of nooks and crannies, it wouldn't be hard to dive in somewhere if he had to. In the meantime, though, he needed to hunt for clues.

Checklist item 1: evidence of her obsession with him.

It wouldn't be hard to find, especially if he hunted her laptop. Light was a competent hacker, he often solved cases his father didn't consult him for by hacking into the NPA database and sending them anonymous tips, it was an easy way to get rid of his boredom. He pulled on the pair of black gloves, flicking the stray brown strands of hair out of his eyes as he carefully sifted through the contents of her desk and drawer, trying to find anything that wasn't either makeup or some sort of strange occult-like artefact (coins, feathered ornaments and creepy voodoo puppets, he did not want to know what they meant).

Light had debating bringing along a mask, but if he looked too much like a burglar when he was spotted he might get into trouble. If Light himself was seen here, he could just argue drunkenness or confusion. He had a mean damsel-in-distress impression.

"Eureka." He whispered as he laid his hands on Misa's shiny white laptop. He yanked it out of its place within the depths of her desk, laying it on her obscenely pink bedding and pulling it open. The room lit up with its brightness, throwing spots in Light's vision.

He bit his lip as he worked on the password. This was easy, she barely had any security and her password was a combination of her birthday and the day she'd gotten her first modelling contract.

The desktop flashed on and Light drew in a sharp breath, going for his phone and flipping it open, taking a quick photo of what he found.

The background image was a picture of Light's face, taken in class while he wasn't looking (he looked so exceptionally bored, couldn't Misa have found a better one?). Compelling as it was, though, it wasn't evidence. He had to find proof that she took her obsession to unhealthy levels, that she went to the extent of tracking him down and breaking into his room. Light searched the laptop for files labelled with his name and came up with nothing.

He won his first victory when he went to her recently opened files and found what she called her diary. The minor discomfort he felt invading her privacy disappeared the minute he opened the file.

Pictures of him, thousands and thousands of photographs copied onto a word document as if that would disguise what it was. They were all taken without his knowledge, all with a cellphone camera as he ate in the cafeteria, talked to a friend, flipped through a textbook or dozed off in class. As he scrolled through the humungous file, he came upon more recent ones. A snap of him teasing Ryuuzaki outside their psychology class. Another one taken as he was asleep in class.

Light found a kernel of amusement within all of this mess. He remembered this last one, Misa had gone psychotic because Ryuuzaki swatted a bug from his hair. From the angle of this photograph, he kind of understood where she was coming from. It certainly did look like his friend was stroking his hair indulgently with those spindly white fingers.

"Raito-kun?" A muffled voice came from behind the closed door, the deep baritone raised to be heard over the thumping music.

Was that _Ryuuzaki?_ Light fumbled as he slapped her laptop shut and held it close to his chest, looking for the best place to dive into.

"Raito-kun, are you here?" The doorknob turned and Light felt a stab of fear go through him. Nimbly, he slid her closet open, slipping into the bottom shelf with her gothic skirts and shutting it just as he heard the door open. The brunet curled into a ball, chewing nervously at his lip as he set the laptop down beside him, trying to disappear into the darkness.

If only Ryuuzaki would fuck off! When he left, Light would be free to open up the laptop again and send the damning file to his email, use it as proof of her creepy-as-fuck fixation with him (what had Light even done to deserve this? He wasn't _that_ attractive, he was above-average at best and Misa constantly met A-list and B-list idols. He didn't see why he warranted her attention at all, let alone _this_ ).

"Raito-kun?" The voice was tentative, anxious. It paused, and the distinct sound of a sniff was heard. "He…must be in here, right? I didn't smell an exit trail."

Light covered his mouth and nose with his hand, trying not to breathe too loudly. What the fuck did that mean? Exit trail? Was he leaking something? He didn't remember dousing himself in perfume or anything, did Sayu do something to him?

 _Hmm…that girl had been giggling more than usual when he left the house…_

"Yeah, fuck, this room is absolute soaked. Speaking of which, dude, Ryuuzaki, I need to know how the fuck you can stand it. He's like a fucking buffet table or, in L-talk, a free-for-all at a candy store. Like, once I identified it, it's all I can smell."

That was Matt, Ryuuzaki's weird ginger brother with the orange goggles, he could tell by the variation in his English accent. Matt was more rustic than the other, more cultured brothers.

Ryuuzaki sounded pissed off by whatever nonsense Matt had just blathered. Had he said Light _smells?_ Were they even talking about him anymore? How on earth had he filled the room in his odour? He didn't have a blocked nose or anything, if he was that pungent he would have smelled it himself. "I would prefer it if you do not use that language, Matt." The pale man muttered.

Matt's voice turned muffled, as if he was holding his breath. "Look, I get it, jeez. I'm sorry we're capable of using our noses too. I've given you my blood and I can't stand this _smell_ anymore, my job is over. I'm out of here."

"Matt, I'm warning you-"

There was a slam of the bedroom door, and a quiet sigh. Light squeezed his eyes shut, leaning his head forward, his cheeks brushing against some rough lace ruffles. His legs were asleep by now, why wasn't Ryuuzaki following Matt out? Light couldn't switch the laptop on, the light would reveal his location and he didn't want to be caught.

Suddenly, strange sounds started to come from the bedroom. Things were thrown about, the bed creaked loudly as someone moved it to and fro at an insane velocity. Light was alarmed, placing his hand on the flat of the closet door and preparing to slide it open an inch before it was wrenched forcefully open and a pale face thrust itself in front of his.

Light shrank back. "Oh, fucking hell. Ryuuzaki, please be quiet." He held in a hysterical scream. "I can explain, I swear."

He watched as his friend's face twisted in confusion and, most worryingly, suspicion. "What are you doing, Raito-kun?"

"I-I swear I can explain. Just…just make sure nobody can see us. Close the door."

As Ryuuzaki retreated to check on the door Matt had slammed shut behind him, Light crawled out of his perch inside the closet. This was going as badly as it could. All he needed now was for Misa to come in and see him with her fucking laptop and go batshit insane on him, tearing him apart limb by limb and preserving his head as a part of her stalker shrine.

"Are you going to explain, Raito-kun?" Ryuuzaki slouched, watching him warily as the teenager placed the laptop on the bed and straightened to meet his midnight eyes.

Light licked his lips. "Okay, this is..." He sighed. "Do you remember I mentioned a stalker a couple days ago? Sneaked into my room, jumped out the window, didn't let me sleep?"

The pale man tensed, his finger freezing where it had been stroking the base of his bottom lip. Slowly, he blinked. "Yes."

"Well." Light itched the back of his ear. "I have reason to believe that it was Misa."

That caught his friend by surprise. His eyes widened slightly and his finger went up to his lip earnestly. "Why do you say that, Raito-kun?"

In reply, he knelt by the laptop and flipped it open. The screen lit up cheerfully. "Look at this." He swiftly entered the password and the awful document blinked onscreen, Light's caramel eyes staring at the two of them from a million different angles. Ryuuzaki crouched beside him, chewing on his thumb.

The brunet watched as the black-haired man narrowed his eyes, his face flushing. He reached out to scroll up the document, but Light stopped him, wiggling his fingers. "Careful. Fingerprints. I have gloves." He scrolled up for his friend and watched as his eyebrows knitted indignantly.

"She has been doing this for months." He darted a glance at Light. "Raito-kun, this isn't safe. You have obviously come here with the intention of investigating. We must hurry. What will you do with this information?"

"Actually, I'm not sure." Light tilted his head forward, his heart beating painfully in his chest. "I just…I needed the proof, Ryuuzaki. That night…I've never been more humiliated in my life. I was _helpless_ , she had me pinned to my bed, she _touched_ me and I couldn't do anything about it. I've never felt so pathetic, so fucking _incompetent."_ A pause. "Her hands are cold, colder than I can tell you. I recognised them after, when she tried to wake me in class the next day. It was why I holed up in there until lunch, I couldn't…face her." He let out a hollow chuckle. "It's very distinctive, their coldness, you can't miss it." He swallowed the lump in his throat.

"I-I just needed to know."

There was an extended pause, and Light looked up to see Ryuuzaki looking terribly pained, his eyes squeezed shut as he bowed his head. Guilt clutched at the teenager, he hadn't meant to disturb him. Bringing him here was the worst idea he had ever had. He really liked the guy, but now the older man would only think of him as a helpless victim.

 _Can't fend for himself, can't protect himself. Pathetic._

"N-nothing happened, though. I mean, nothing physical. I-I mean…" He covered his eyes with his hand. "Don't look like that, Ryuuzaki. Nothing really happened, it's all in my head."

"But she hurt you, didn't she?" He said in a low voice that he could barely hear. "She hurt you badly. You will never forgive her."

Light blinked, confused. "Yeah. I mean, I can't forgive her, can I?" He pressed his lips together, contemplative. "It all points to her. The obsession, her strength, she even has a collection of wigs she's showed me once. I know for a fact one of them is black."

"Your memory is fascinating, Raito-kun. I am not sure I would remember so much from such a traumatic situation."

Light rolled his eyes. "I would remember more, but her face was covered when she broke in. Three nights, Ryuuzaki, she broke in for three nights straight just to watch me sleep. And those are only the ones I noticed. I mean, who does that?"

His voice was a whisper of wind. "An obsessive maniac."

Unbelievably, Light laughed. "Okay, that is officially what I will be calling her in my head. So far it had been creepy stalker, but obsessive maniac really puts the point across."

Ryuuzaki didn't laugh back, he didn't even smile. He wore the most sorrowful expression he had ever seen, it was unnerving. "Ryuuzaki, please, it's really not-"

 _"Raitooooo!"_ A loud voice screeched in the hallway, and a chill went down his spine.

.

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A/N: The next chapter's one of my favourites (which is why I'll try my level best to space out the update 3). Give me feedback please!


	11. Threat

Chapter 11: Threat

 _"Raitooooo!"_

Light froze, staring at Ryuuzaki. "M-Misa coming."

The spindly man immediately sprung to action. "You wish to get a record of this, yes? I'm going to email it to you from this computer and erase the history. Don't worry about fingerprints, nobody's going to check and I have no criminal records." His fingers were blurs on the keyboard, the computer itself was straining to catch up with him.

Light gulped, glancing at the door. "W-we need to hide, she can't find me looking through her stuff, she might suspect that I know…"

Done with his mission, Ryuuzaki slammed the laptop shut. "Where was it initially?" Light pointed to the desk and his friend placed it carefully back.

 _"Raito, are you in my rooooom?"_ There was a giggle at the end of that that sent Light's heart rate shooting up. Fucking hell, she was like a monster in a horror movie. His hands shivered visibly and he was so damn angry with himself for it. What was he being reduced to by this two-bit idiot model?

A plan flashed through his mind but he dismissed it completely. He wasn't going to take advantage of Ryuuzaki that way. "T-the closet, we can both fit in there-"

"No, Raito-kun." Light was abruptly seized by the collar of his shirt and shoved onto the bed by strong, unyielding hands. "I am sorry for this, but it is the only way." The older man began to unbutton the brunet's shirt swiftly and dispassionately, his black hair hanging over his eyes.

Light felt a glimmer of excitement, quelling his smirk as he slipped his hands under Ryuuzaki's white button-up. "Well, excuse me, but two can play that game." He pulled his hands up so the shirt bunched around the pale man's ice-cold torso. "Kiss me, Ryuuzaki."

"W-what?" His friend made a strangled noise. "I can't…"

Light clutched the front of his shirt and pulled him closer. "Oh, come on. If you can take off my clothes, you can kiss me. I brush my teeth twice a day, I promise."

Ryuuzaki sucked in his lip. "Raito-kun, I shouldn't."

 _"Ryuuzaki."_ Light said firmly, narrowing his eyes. "Kiss me before she comes in or I'll-"

He never got to finish that sentence. Suddenly, Light was being held down, his lips pressing against a heavy, cold weight. His hands were pinned first to his sides, but as Ryuuzaki climbed onto him the spindly man yanked his arms up over his head to hold them tight against the pillows.

Light moaned into the kiss, fighting back, his teeth grazing over the older man's bottom lip, prompting what sounded like a growl from deep inside his friend's throat. Light felt Ryuuzaki's knees tighten against his hips, one of his hands taking both wrists in its grasp so that the other could trail down his bare chest to trace the edge of his trousers.

 _"Raitooo, are you in here?"_ The door blew open and Light glimpsed over to see the sliver of blonde and red in the doorway. "What…?" Her tiny gasp made his day. "What are you _doing?_ _Get off of my Raito!"_ Her screech grated at his ears.

Light pulled away from Ryuuzaki, turning his head to face her, his face marred with the biggest grin of his lifetime. "Misa, what're _you_ doing? Shut the door."

Her mouth gaped. "R-Raito, what…?"

"Go away, I'm kind of busy-" He was cut off by Ryuuzaki's insistent lips grabbing his again. "Wait, Ryuuzaki, God. I'm talking." The brunet said, laughing.

The raven-haired man pursed his lips. "I do not think there is anything else left to say. Can't you see we're in the middle of something, Amane-san?"

"Yeah, Misa. Close the door behind you, thanks."

The petite model turned a sickly shade of white, her pupils dilating. "Stop that right now!" She shrieked. For a minute, she seemed ready to stomp her foot sulkily like a toddler but something changed in her stance. " _Stop_ it, Raito, or I will make you stop."

It sent a tendril of fear through him, and he immediately berated himself for it. "Oh, you don't want us doing it in your room? You could just have said so. Come on, Ryuuzaki." He looked up to see the other man still as a statue on top of him, his eyes sharp and fixed on the intimidating model.

Light tugged at his imprisoned wrists. "Ryuuzaki, we don't want to impose. Come on, we can do this somewhere else."

The raven-haired man didn't move, and the grip around Light's wrists grew tighter than a pair of handcuffs. He was growing paler by the second, jaw tightening aggressively. Light squirmed under him. "Ryuuzaki, what are you-"

In a flash, Ryuuzaki had vaulted off of him, his knees bent and hands in fists as he stood protectively in front of the bed. "Well, Amane-san, this is quite the surprise. You have hidden very well to fly under Whammy's radar, consider me impressed. And to think I underestimated you."

The blond girl lifted her chin, her lips pulled back in a snarl. "You can't insult Misa, Ryuuzaki-san, Misa doesn't give a shit about you. Raito is _mine_ , you can't have him."

That deep growl came from Ryuuzaki once more, and the man stalked up to her, straightening up so he stood a good eleven inches above her. "You are delusional, Amane-san. I am sorry for you."

The girl _hissed_. Light didn't even know people _could_ hiss like that, it was reminiscent of an angry tomcat. "Misa has had her sights on him longer than you have, _Whammy_."

A mocking laugh. "Yes, you have, I must agree. And what has come of it? He doesn't even want to be seen with you."

"It doesn't _matter_ what he wants. He will be Misa's mate or a bloodless corpse."

A chill ran down Light's spine. When he spoke, his voice was tiny and he hated himself for it. "What the fuck, Misa?"

Ryuuzaki glanced back at him, and Light absorbed the absolute fury in his expression. "He will be your mate or you will kill him?" Within a split second, there was a crash and Misa screamed, struggling under the weight of Ryuuzaki's body-slam. "You will suck him dry, Amane Misa? You _dare_ to threaten his life?" He locked his arm around her neck and fisted his hands in her hair. The girl cried out, wriggling pathetically.

"Ryuuzaki, stop! What are you doing?" The brunet scrambled off of the bed and attempted to pull his friend off of her, but one hard shove and Light slammed into the wall, hitting his head and slumping to the ground. Oblivious, Ryuuzaki adjusted his grasp on Misa, who turned purple in the face.

"You stay away from him, Amane. Stay away from him or I will do worse." He leaned in close and whispered in her ear. "Yagami Raito is not yours. He is mine, and if you threaten him again, I will tear you apart."

Light drew in a sharp breath, his mind straining to make sense of this. "R-Ryuuzaki, let her go." He tried to get to his feet but stumbled off balance, shakily holding the bedpost. His head throbbed painfully, his body hurt to move. How hard had Ryuuzaki hit him?

"One minute, Raito-kun. I just need to make sure she has learnt her lesson." He squeezed her and snarled. "Will you harass Raito-kun again, Amane-san? Will you dare attempt to hurt him?"

Breathless, all the model could do was shake her head. Her eyes were glassy and Light wasn't sure but he could see her shiny white teeth poking out from under her lip, making it look like she had fangs. Was she having a stroke?

"Ryuuzaki, let her go right now. She's said she's not going to hurt me, let her go."

Satisfied, the pale man released her. The girl choked, her fingers scrabbling at her neck. "Freak! You ugly twisted psycho freak!" She rasped as she stumbled to her feet. "Get out of Misa's house!"

"Believe me, we will." Ryuuzaki stated complacently. The blond woman staggered out of the room and Light heard her break into an indignant sob.

"Well, that was fun." The pale man quipped as he turned back to the brunet. "Want to continue where we left off? I'm sure we-" He stopped, his eyebrows knitting as he took in the brunet's position clutching the bedpost for support. "Raito-kun? Are you alright?"

Light shook his head. "I'm fine, Ryuuzaki. I'm fine." He gritted his teeth and let go of the wooden post, but immediately made a grab for it again. "Okay, maybe a little dizzy."

"Did I…did I push you? I didn't realise…" He swiftly went over to the brunet, wrapping his arms around him. "Let me see." He took Light around the waist and lowered him onto the bed. He tugged the already-unbuttoned black shirt off of Light's shoulders and gasped as he studied the teenager's back.

"Oh god, Raito, I'm so sorry." The man drew in a shaky breath. "I didn't mean to…"

Light shook his head again, trying to pitch off the bed. "I'm fine, don't worry. It was just a…just a…"

The older man stood up, his arms encircling him. "No, Raito, don't-"

Ryuuzaki cut himself off when Light lurched forward and puked all over his white shirt.

.

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A/N: Love this chapter (and the makeout scene XD) review me!


	12. Concussion

Chapter 12: Concussion

"Look, Ryuuzaki, I have a lot of questions, but let's start with this one: is that a Hello Kitty t-shirt?"

L sighed, aggravated, as they bundled back into Mello's car. Near had ditched them a long time ago, preferring to walk home rather than spend another minute in the hedonistic wasteland that was Misa-Misa's residence and Mello had refused to leave straight off the bat, so it was Matt, L and Light sitting inside the bright yellow convertible backing out of the driveway.

Hearing Matt's question Light groaned, making L immediately tighten his embrace around the human. "I'm sorry. This is so embarrassing. I'm so sorry."

L stroked the boy's auburn hair. "I should be apologising, Light, and you know that. Don't be embarrassed."

"I vomited all over you, Ryuuzaki. I didn't even flinch. I'm a rotten human being."

Despite everything, L laughed. "Is that what qualifies a rotten human being to you, Raito-kun?"

The teenager rested his head on L's shoulder. "…I think I have a concussion. Somehow. I'm such a paper doll. Fucking _Misa-Misa_ is stronger than I am. When did I become such a loser?"

L frowned. "Light, you're not a paper doll. I…I was a…rugby player back in London. It's not your fault, it's entirely mine."

The brunet winced at the orange streetlights flashing past them. "You better be taking me home."

L curled his arm around his friend (was he still just a friend?) and pulled him closer to his body. The human was a furnace, warm and so delightfully alive, his every breath sending a jolt through the detective's heart. L took in a deep breath of his sugar-and-cookies scent. "I thought it more prudent to get you checked at the doctor's first."

"No." The smooth voice was suddenly sharper than a knife. "No, I am _not_ going to a doctor for _this_. Take me home."

L blinked. "But Raito-kun, we must get it checked somewhere."

"I can sleep it off, Ryuuzaki. I know about concussions, this one isn't serious."

Matt snorted. "Macho boyfriend you've got there, Ryuuzaki."

The detective felt Light bristle, but his head was kept firmly on the vampire's bony shoulder. "Fuck yourself, Matt. Or better yet, throw yourself into a wall, see how that works out for you."

Matt paused for a second and burst out laughing. "You're so cute when you're irritable! I might decide to pursue you myself."

"What's _that_ supposed to mean? Why is everyone saying things like that? It's so fucking _annoying_." Light muttered into L's pink sleeve. "I hate all of you, just take me home."

L held in an amused smile. "Does it hurt, Raito-kun?"

"Stop asking me if it fucking hurts!" He snapped, clinging to L's arm and pressing his forehead resolutely against it. He waited a minute before breathing again. "No, but I feel really dizzy."

L pursed his lips. "But you won't go to a doctor about it?"

"No. I'm not a damsel in distress. It doesn't feel serious, alright?" Without warning, Light's head slipped from the detective's shoulder to his lap. He sighed, wriggling as he tried to make himself comfortable on the bony, cold surface of L's thighs, folding his legs onto the car seat. "Please, just a little while."

L stiffened. "Y-yes, okay."

Light let out a soft sigh. "Wake me when I get home."

L sat as still as he could as he felt the boy relax into him. What did Light think they were to each other right now? Fuck, he needed that 40% extra deductive reasoning to puzzle out his relationship to this teenager. When was Light going to get off of him? …Not that L wanted him to get off of him, this was actually really nice, just having the boy so close, lying on him as if he trusted him wholly and completely, but damn it L needed to sit with his feet under him right now!

"Uh, Ryuuzaki?"

L looked down, realising that his fingers were tracing the line of the Light's jaw but unable to stop himself. "Yes, Raito-kun?"

"You can apologise by…taking me to the movies this weekend." A sleepy grin stretched on the boy's lips. "Stop making that face. It's not a great big mystery, I'm asking you out. Feel free to decline if you want." His eyes slipped shut and he drifted off.

Matt chuckled from the front. "He's really helping you out here, L."

L shushed him. "My name is _Ryuuzaki_."

"Whatever. So, we going back to his place?"

L grimaced, staring out of the window at the surroundings flashing past, a blur of blue and orange. "No. Whatever he may think, he is still human. We'll take him to Watari."

Matt glanced at the detective in the rear view mirror. "Watari? Watari can treat humans?"

L nodded. "Watari can do anything."

Matt shrugged, swerving into the opposite lane. "You know he's something if _L_ says that about him."

"Matt. My name is _Ryuuzaki_."

* * *

Light had often heard that falling asleep with a concussion was a bad idea…but it felt so damn good, especially when he was lying on Ryuuzaki's bony lap, snuggling into icy coldness and dreaming about nothing.

His skin really was cold, though. As icy as Misa's, and certainly as rigid. If he had discovered this before he identified Misa as his stalker…who knew? Maybe he would have suspected _Ryuuzaki_ of all people of climbing into his room and watching him sleep (the thought itself was ridiculous).

The car jerked to a stop, waking Light from his half-slumber. He felt the older man gently lift his head from his lap and place it down on the leather seat in order to step outside. Light stirred, propping himself up on his elbows. "Was that a detour or- _hey!"_

Ryuuzaki's hands slipped under him and scooped him easily up in a bridal carry as if he weighed nothing. Light's head fell back, his long legs dangling into nothing. His eyes flew open in a panic. "What the fuck, _put me down!"_ He clutched at the pink nightshirt they had stolen from Misa, lifting his head up. His voice was shrill, alarmed. "What the fuck are you _doing?"_

Ryuuzaki carried him swiftly up a flight of stairs. Light looked around, stone walls and curving banisters, this was definitely not his home. _"Ryuuzaki!_ Where am I? What am I doing here?"

"Raito-kun." His deep monotone was strangely soothing. "Don't worry, it won't take long. I only brought you over here since the symptoms you showed were not altogether reassuring."

Light snapped indignantly. "I told you I don't want to go to a doctor! Put me down, you fucking bastard! I'm never taking a ride with you again!" He tried to pry the man's fingers from under his waist, eliciting a sigh from his captor.

"Please, Raito-kun, take a breath. I have not brought you to the hospital. I am having you examined by my adoptive guardian, Watari. He is very professional, it won't take long and it was on the way. I have thought this through. Trust me."

Light tightened his grip on the man's shirt. _"Trust_ you? I _specifically_ told you to drop me home, you fucking kidnapper!"

Ryuuzaki loosened his hold on Light, almost sending the brunet tumbling to the ground. "Kidnapper?"

"I'm sorry I puked on you, okay? Now take me back!"

The dark-haired man's eyebrows drew down low over his gleaming black eyes. "What do you think I'm doing? All I am about to do is have Watari make sure you are alright before I take you home."

Light narrowed his eyes. "You're a creep. I take it back, I'm not going out anywhere with you ever again." He gritted his teeth. "Put me down before I fucking pound you into the ground, rugby or no rugby."

Ryuuzaki sighed, jostling him slightly as he adjusted his arms under Light's knees and waist. "I thought you were more reasonable than this. I truly hope this is the effect of your injury, else I may have had a completely different opinion of you."

Light's face coloured as his mouth dropped open. "Did you just insult me, you asshole?"

L did not deign to reply, swinging open a nearby door and hefting Light inside with him. It was a simple room, painted all white with slippery-looking tiles and heavy drapes covering the windows. An elderly man met them at the door, smiling amusedly as he polished his glasses with a cloth. "This is the famous young man, then?" He asked with a thicker British accent than Ryuuzaki's, his words halting. He strode back with a dignified air. "Hello, Yagami Raito. Are you unable to walk or is Ryuuzaki displaying his acute disregard for personal space?"

Light glared at the pale man holding him. "He's kidnapping me and bringing me here against my will."

"Raito-kun, I will take you home right after this, I have no ill intentions towards you!"

Watari chuckled. "Well, as long as you are here, Ryuuzaki mentioned a head injury you somehow acquired?"

Ryuuzaki shuffled over to the bed in the middle of the room and placed Light on top of the covers. The brunet swung his legs down and sat up straight. "Yeah, Ryuuzaki shoved me into a wall."

The pale man flushed. "I didn't mean to, I swear it. I would _never_."

Watari surveyed the two of them from under his spectacles, lips pursed in disapproval. "Ryuuzaki, I must ask you to wait outside."

The dark-haired man looked incredulously from Watari to Light and back. With a sulky grimace, he stormed out of the room, slamming the door shut behind him. Light winced at the noise and Watari hummed, pacing over to him and tilting his head down, probing the back of his skull with cold fingers (why did everyone have such cold skin? Was Light running a fever?).

"Headache? Dizziness? Nausea?"

Light smiled dryly. "Two out of three. The nausea's mostly gone. I'm just a bit dizzy."

"That's a good sign." There was suddenly a pen-light in the old man's hand. He chucked Light's chin with his thumb and shone the light into his eyes.

Light flinched, but Watari smiled pleasantly. "No dilation of the pupils, coherent speech, no headaches, your injury is not severe. Can you walk?"

Light got carefully to his feet, taking two steps forward and wobbling dangerously, but mostly due to the dull pain along his back. Watari came over, touching him gently at the shoulder but too obviously refusing to come closer than that. The brunet gave him a doubtful look, taking another step.

The old man nodded approvingly. "It's not serious. You'll be fine after a couple days of bed-rest, maybe take some medicine for a headache if one crops up. You do appear to have a lot of bruising, though, that would probably take longer to heal. Come, Light, lie down until Ryuuzaki comes back inside."

Light's steps walking back were a bit steadier. "That's what I said from the beginning." He dipped hesitantly back on the bed and laid his head on the pillow. The relief caught him by surprise, as did his sudden drowsiness.

Watari pulled his glasses off and polished them yet again. Light started wondering if it was a nervous tic. "I shall get him but before that, I would like you to tell me why Ryuuzaki shoved you into a wall."

Light yawned. "Mm, well, it's a long story."

There was a sudden shift in the atmosphere as the calm, collected old man clasped his hands together. "Did he, perhaps, hurt you in any other way? Did he hurt someone else?"

The brunet blinked. "Why?" His treatment of Misa came to mind, how he dived at her, threw her to the ground, caught her in a headlock and pulled up her head by the hair. How he snarled at her, taunted her. "Does he do that often?"

The British gentleman lowered his eyes. "No, no. That wasn't what I meant. You see, my son doesn't know his strength. All of my sons, actually. I have unfortunately taught them that they can go to any lengths as long as their intentions are good. This is usually a positive thing, but it sometimes results in people getting hurt. Quite unintentionally, to be sure."

Light looked up at the perfectly white ceiling. "I understand. No, he shoved me by accident, he was fighting this other girl because she made lewd comments about me."

"As expected." Watari's lips turned up as Light gave him a suspicious glance. "Don't be too hard on him, Mr. Yagami. His feelings for you are deeper than he's used to."

"Huh." Light tried to hide his surprise. Ryuuzaki talked to his adoptive father about having feelings for him? Well, that was one hell of a plot twist. And to think the brunet had assumed Ryuuzaki wasn't even interested.

Watari bowed his head. "I'll go fetch him now. Try to get some rest."

The door clicked gently shut behind him, and Light felt his eyes slide closed.

* * *

The brunet was spinning off into space, sightless and breathless. There was a crack in the horizon, and he directed himself towards it.

He could feel the warmth of a heavy blanket over his form, smell the sharp tang of car-seat leather, hear the whirring of an air conditioner. His head was laid onto a lap, his hands buried inside the blanket, his nose cold from where it was brushing the skin of the man holding him.

There was a constant murmur, somewhere in the distance or right there in the car, murmuring that burrowed deep into his skin and brought him closer to that world.

"So you just let her take responsibility for your actions? Have I taught you anything, L?" An elderly man chastised self-righteously in English.

A younger man sniffed, his voice hushed. "Please not here, Watari, not now. And it isn't as if she is an innocent party."

"Justice, you are supposed to be _justice_. Why should I ever give you your title back?"

The younger man was aggravated. "Watari, you are no innocent either. You did not inform us of Misa's existence. We were entirely unprepared. If she had been just a little bit stronger, I would not have been able to intimidate her. Even now, I am not certain she will not attack in the future."

"Our fellowmen are not enemies, L, and you must stop viewing them that way."

"They are enemies as long as they attack the people I love." A hand touched the brunet's face, colder than ice, tracing a line along his cheekbone.

A deep sigh. "Love? It is an infatuation you feel, and it is only as strong as it is because of how inexperienced you are."

An indignant growl, and the lap Light's head rested on tilted forward. "I may be a dunce at these things, but I know myself. Do you have no respect for my judgement? I do not play games, Watari, I simply know what I feel."

"Your judgement of yourself may be fine, but I have seen enough to know your future with this boy cannot be as rosy as you'd like, not if you lie to him about everything."

The voice was now louder than a whisper, the English more accented. "But what _else_ can I do, Watari? There is nothing else I can do, how can I possibly tell him the truth and expect him to be willing to stay with me?"

Light strained to hear more, but the blackness wrapped around him like a shroud, his friend's voice fading until it was only a murmur in the horizon.

.

.

A/N: L lifting Light in his arms has always been a personal favourite of mine XD review me!


	13. Amane Misa

It wasn't fair.

Misa-Misa had been in love with Yagami Raito for seven months now. Seven gruelling months of primping and preening, of being the best version of herself she could be, seven months of resisting his brilliant scent of blooming roses, and it had all been taken from her in one night. _One night!_

It was all _Ryuuzaki's_ fault. She had never trusted the Whammys, not since they turned up in college all in a pack and seemed to know exactly where everything was, not since one of them had given the freshman speech with her Raito (oh, that _Ryuuzaki_ , she knew she should have been suspicious of him even then!) and especially not since she bumped into one of them in the cafeteria and picked up on the sharpest vampiric scent she had ever had the misfortune to come across in her fifty years of existence.

Luckily, the one she had bumped into, the white-haired dwarf-child, seemed just as incapable of registering weaker scents as his older brother Ryuuzaki. Her scent was deliberately weakened, she soaked herself in perfume every morning for this very purpose.

So she had found out they were vampires, which made her wary around them, but she had never expected them to steal the human she had picked to be her mate. Did Ryuuzaki have no shame? Raito was hers and only hers! In fact, Misa would have converted him already if only she had managed to make him fall in love with her (if she converted him before that, he could kill, or worse, _leave_ her). Yagami Raito was a tough nut to crack.

(Apparently not for Ryuuzaki, though).

She remembered that toothy grin Raito was giving him, that spike in the intensity of his scent as he was held down by that cheap, repulsive pervert.

The blond girl curled her hands into fists. Ryuuzaki expected her to lay low for awhile. After all, he had challenged her and won which means she should be submissive towards him…but Misa had never been very good at following vampiric conventions. It was why she was in hiding, after all.

Misa checked her makeup in her compact mirror. Her lipstick was fresh and red, emphasising her pale skin, and her large hazel eyes were lined in dark eyeliner. She liked how gothic she looked, it made her feel younger than she really was, as young as Raito.

How young her potential mate was, only eighteen (when Misa was eighteen, she had still been human). It surprised her every time how dignified and mature he acted. He was only a _child_ , no wonder he was so confused. She had probably scared him last night with how aggressive she had been (not that she blamed herself), but the best part was that he had dived into the brawl to try and save her from that perverted vampire _despite_ that, even getting injured in the process.

He did love her, no matter what he might think. It was only a matter of time before he realised it himself.

Misa coughed, straightening her back as she smiled pleasantly at the door before reaching out to firmly press the doorbell. She couldn't attack Ryuuzaki after he had defeated her, yes, but she wasn't going to lie down and let him do as he liked with the man she loved.

The door swung open to reveal a lanky girl with long brown hair wearing a loose green nightshirt. She widened her brown eyes, the same eyes as her brother, and a huge grin grew on her face.

"Misa-Misa! You didn't tell me you were coming!"

Misa grinned. While most of the Yagami household generally disliked her (for no fault of hers! All she had done was honk outside their house for Light to come out and see her, that was no reason to hate someone!), Sayu was her number one fan. In the first few months, before she had gotten to know Raito properly, she had used Sayu as an excuse to visit every week, even signing autographs for all her friends in the process. Misa loved the attention, it was the best part of becoming a Japanese idol.

"Oh, sorry!" Misa chirped. "Misa wanted to see Raito. Did he tell you? He asked Misa out yesterday!"

Sayu stared at her, then clapped her hands together in delight, squealing. "Onii-chan is dating Misa-Misa? That's so _awesome!_ Onii-chaaaan!" She began to swivel around and rush up the stairs, but Misa swiftly caught her by the back of her shirt.

"Actually, he was _going_ to ask Misa-Misa out before that stalker tried to do nasty things to Misa. Did Raito tell Sayu-chan about that?"

Sayu shook her head, those brown eyes growing larger and larger. "No, Onii-chan didn't say anything, he came home very late and went to bed. I don't think he's even woken up yet. What happened?"

Misa clasped her hands together in front of her chest, recalling every moment of humiliation Ryuuzaki had put her through to make sure she wore her best anguished expression.

"At the party, this man named Ryuuzaki tried to sexually assault Misa, but Raito jumped in to save her just in time! He was like a superhero, like Misa's white knight!" She sighed, smiling dreamily. "But unfortunately, that horrible man injured my Raito before he left. Misa wanted to check on him, see if he is alright. Misa hopes he is alright! She is forever indebted to him!"

Sayu was gaping at her, her cheeks flooding with colour. Misa could just smell her scent, nearly as alluring as her brother's but not quite. Misa could have considered her as a mate if she had met her first, if she hadn't already seen what a brilliant human Raito was.

"That's…that's so brave of Onii-chan! I didn't know he was so awesome!" Sayu bounced up on her toes. "That Ryuuzaki guy is disgusting, shouldn't you press charges against him?" Her eyes lit up. "I'll tell my father! He'll get him prosecuted!"

 _"No!"_ Misa screeched, then slapped her hands over her mouth. She took a deep breath to calm herself. "No. Don't, Misa…Misa doesn't want to handle the humiliation. W-with Misa's fame, it will become viral. Sayu-chan must not go to her father with this."

Sayu frowned, but seemed to understand. She bobbed her head, making her long hair bounce behind her. "You wanted to meet Onii-chan, no? I'll go get him!" She started to bound for the stairs again but this time, Misa stepped in front of her, holding out her hands.

"Actually, Misa wanted to surprise him. She wanted to…thank him properly for what he did for her." She smiled mischievously. "Sayu-chan understands, doesn't she?"

Sayu blushed, giggling. "Okay, I'll show you to his room. He could still be asleep."

"Perfect." Misa giggled as well, unable to help herself. The younger girl waved for her to follow as she ran up to the second floor. Misa shut the door behind her and pulled off her high-heels, padding behind Raito's little sister. She felt excitement bubble inside her, Raito was going to be so shocked by her arrival, he would make that adorable face and his scent would grow so much stronger in his fright, she couldn't wait!

The brunette went up to the last door on the floor and tried the doorknob. She grimaced. "He's locked it. Again. Wait, I'll get my lock pick."

She sprinted into her room and returned with a slim length of metal. "He always changes the lock after I pick it, but he can't get rid of me that easily. I keep my picks updated." She quipped, sticking the silver device into the keyhole and jiggling it. "He thinks he's _so_ clever, he has no clue." She gave Misa a wry glance before the lock clicked and she turned the doorknob.

The door opened a crack, refusing to budge further. Raito had obviously blocked it from the other side. There was a heavy thud from inside the room. "Sayu? Goddamn it." Misa's heart sped up as Raito's indignant voice, husky and smooth as velvet, floated out. "What the fuck, Sayu? Aren't you even going to knock anymore?"

The brunette thrust harder against the rebellious door. "Onii-chaaan, you're ruining everything!"

"Ruining what exactly? If you want me to help you with Math, you can knock. In fact, if you want anything, you can knock. It's not that much trouble."

Sayu's cheeks turned red. "No, Onii-chan, it's not-"

Misa took the door handle from her and easily pushed the door open, startling the younger girl out of the way. The model grinned widely at the sole occupant of the room, her white teeth sparkling as her pink tongue probed her canines to make sure they weren't sticking out.

"Good morning, Raito!"

The brunet looked like he was going to have a heart attack. He was frozen where he was sitting at his desk on his rolling chair in a loose grey sweatshirt, his legs crossed over each other with his pen poised over a half-filled page. Raito's normally tan complexion paled, his lovely brown eyes narrowing dangerously.

She knew what that expression meant, he was scheming a way out of this situation. She loved that face, it was so fucking hot it turned her on instantly. Her cheeks flushed as the blood she had just drank this morning flowed through her.

Raito stood up unsteadily from his chair, holding the back of it for support. "Sayu, leave."

Sayu looked confused, studying his posture. "Onii-chan, are you actually hurt that badly? I…I don't think it's a good idea-"

"Sayu. Leave the room. Now." The teenager never took his eyes off of Misa for a minute, hostile and wary. They stopped exciting Misa, she was growing a bit scared. Raito was looking at her like he hated her. What had she _done_ for him to hate her? She _had_ used harsh language last night, but it wasn't enough for him to condemn her this way. She knew her Raito, he wasn't that fickle. What could she possibly have done?

"Okay, um. I'll be downstairs. Misa-Misa, get me if he needs anything." Sayu said in a quiet voice, backing reluctantly away from them and swinging the door shut.

The minute the door clicked shut, Misa casually flicked the lock closed. "Misa thinks she need to explain-" She cut herself off when Raito dived for his bed, much to her confusion. "Raito, what happened-?"

Her question was answered when his hand slipped underneath the bed-frame and pulled out a handgun. He held it up straight in both hands, unflinching, his eyes hard and determined.

"I will not shoot you anywhere lethal, because I know you don't _look_ like you are about to cause harm, so the case will obviously go badly for me. However, I've gathered enough evidence to shoot you in the foot and make it look like an accident. The serial numbers of this gun are filed off, I procured it from a black market listing online using your IP address, so it looks like you bought it. With your fame and the number of stalkers you yourself have, it's not an unlikely scenario. I can wipe off my fingerprints and replace them with yours, it's simple." The line of his aim lowered so the muzzle of the gun pointed straight at her glossy black toenails.

Misa gasped, stepping hurriedly away. "R-Raito, why?"

Raito smirked, his eyes cold and resolute. "Do you really think I'm such a pushover? I've been preparing for this for awhile, ever since that night. I had the listing down, all I needed to do was confirm you were my stalker before I used your IP. I got the confirmation last night and ordered it. I couldn't keep my father's gun forever."

Misa backed away, her eyes wide as dinner plates. She had to control herself. If Raito continued to threaten her this way, especially with his heightened emotional state saturating the entire room with his scent, she would snap and lose control. If she attacked Raito now, she would never win his love!

"Misa will scream!"

Raito rolled his eyes. "If you scream I'll shoot you. My mother isn't home and Sayu will take a few seconds to come upstairs, that's all the time I'll need to frame you."

The model licked her lips. "Raito, don't shoot Misa!" Her lower lip trembled and she allowed herself to sob. "Please, Raito, Misa is frightened! Stop saying these things! Put the gun down!"

"What about how frightened I was?" Raito growled, stalking forward. "Does that not matter?"

"What do you _mean_ , Raito? Misa is sorry she used harsh words back at her house, she was shocked and angry when she saw you with Ryuuzaki, she didn't mean to scare you!"

The brunet glared at her. "Do you realise how many nightmares I've had because of you? I've had to reinforce my windows, change the locks on my doors. I used to feel safe in my room but you took that away from me. I can't believe you can show your face to me and call me a friend. Why are you here? What do you want?"

Misa was dumbfounded. "…Raito, Misa doesn't understand…"

"Why are you here? What do you want from me?" Rather than raise his voice, Raito lowered it so it was a gravelly hiss, his head dipping slightly so his sharp, unforgiving eyes were shadowed by his auburn fringe.

Misa's eyes filled with tears. "M-Misa doesn't know why Raito hates her suddenly. Misa is sorry about the fight yesterday, it was only because she loves you so much, Raito. She did not mean to scare you."

The brunet gritted his teeth. "It's not about yesterday, you fucking idiot. It's about two nights ago. I know you remember it, I recognised you."

The model wracked her brain for anything that happened two nights ago. There was…nothing. She hadn't even hung out with Raito that day, she had had a modelling shoot for a shoe company. "Two nights ago…? Misa's shoot with D. B. Slater?"

 _"No!_ Don't you act like you don't remember, it was the worst night of my life! I know it was you, I have your files on me. I have your stalker diary, you fucking creep. Stop denying it!"

 _Stalker diary…?_

Misa's heartbeat quickened. "Did Ryuuzaki show this to you?"

Raito's eyebrows drew down. "What is your connection with Ryuuzaki?"

"H-he's trying to take you from me!"

The teenager tightened his jaw. "I am not with you, you fucker. I will never be with you." But his gun did lower down to his side. "No, you're connected in some other way. Are you from the same place? Same family tree or something?"

 _He's talking about vampires._ Misa felt her fangs start to poke out, Ryuuzaki was messing this all up, Raito couldn't find out about vampires before he fell in love with her! He would never be able to feel anything for her once she admitted she was a bloodsucking monster! "Misa has no connection with that…that pervert!."

"You do!" His gun was still at his side, his knuckles white. "You obviously know each other, how stupid do you think I am? You talk like you're intimately acquainted. You're even physically alike, you're both…pale and cold. And freakish strong. Is he related to you?"

Oh, no, this was not going to happen, not on Misa's watch. "Raito, it's all a coincidence. As if Misa could be related to that dirty stinking pervert stalker-"

"He's not the stalker, you are. Don't you fucking try that." And the gun was up again. "I want you to leave. I never want to see you again. Do you hear me? If I see you sneaking in through my window again, I will call the cops on you and frame you for worse than stalking, I know how to do that. Stay away from me, Amane Misa."

The doorbell rang shrilly downstairs. Sayu's footsteps thumped loudly as she went to get it.

 _"Raito!_ You are making no sense to Misa, and it's really getting on her nerves!" Misa marched forward, incensed, and grabbed the hand with the gun, easily plucking the weapon from it and throwing it aside. It hit the wall hard and Misa realised she should probably have checked if the safety was on before she did that. "When has Misa _ever_ snuck through a window?"

Raito backed away from her, his hands raised in front of him and eyes wide in terror. "No, no, no, _stay away from me!_ Misa _, stay away from me!_ I'll call the cops! I'll get a restraining order! _Misa-!"_ His protests dissolved into a whimper as Misa grabbed him in a tight hug, pressing her head against his chest and pinning his arms to his sides. He struggled half-heartedly against her, somebody had already taught him the hard way about the strength of vampires.

"Misa, please let me go." It broke her heart that he sounded close to tears. "I can't do this, I don't know what else to do. I'm asking you to please leave me alone. I want to just forget this happened, just let me do that. If you care about me at all…"

Misa drew away to look at his face. He was shivering, his face whiter than she had ever seen it. She tried not to breathe in his scent at this moment, any emotion he was feeling right now could never be good for her. "My Raito." She smiled. "Misa will find the person who has hurt you. She will find them and rip them to shreds, she will not let you be afraid ever again."

"Yeah, that sounds like a lot of fun, ripping yourself to shreds." He cringed away from her grasp. The vampire had to consciously control her bloodlust with the whiff of chocolate and roses she caught. It was lucky this was Raito, she couldn't have held it in for anybody else.

"Misa is not your stalker, but she will find out-"

"Who do you think you're fooling, Misa? I know it's you, I have proof!"

The blond model sighed, but her proximity to her human was keeping her content. "You're so stubborn, Raito." She raised herself up on her tiptoes and cupped his face in her hand. "Misa would never _dream_ of hurting you."

She had just managed to press her lips to his when there were three hesitant knocks on the bedroom door. She hissed over her shoulder, teeth bared.

Raito renewed his struggles in her grasp. "Let go, Misa!"

"No." She smiled sweetly at him. She smelled the scent coming from under the door, there was no mistaking the aura of a vampire, and especially not a Whammy. "We're a little busy!" She called out, making Raito try to pull his arms from her hold.

"Goddamn it, Misa, don't! I don't-" She took the opportunity to kiss him again, and this time she managed to make some actual progress, keeping her hand firmly in his silky auburn hair to stop him from moving. He fought valiantly against her, almost desperately, and Misa was glad he was only a fragile human. How would he fall for her if he wasn't able to see how amazing her kisses were?

The knocks came again. "Onii-chan, Otou-san is here, he wants to speak with you."

Raito's father? Misa grumbled into his mouth. _What bad timing._ "We'll be a second!"

"Misa!" Raito yelped, but the blond girl didn't relent, grasping his hair harder and leaning up to force her lips onto his, tasting lemon on his breath.

Misa thought hard about what her next actions would be. Raito would definitely tell his father about his stalker now that she had frightened him, and all of the blame would fall upon her. Who was that repulsive person putting her Raito on edge? She would personally sink her nails into their throat, she would drain their blood and leave them in a ditch.

Unfortunately, she never got to come to a decision.

"Onii-chan, Otou-san really needs to speak to you, his-"

There were three sharp knocks on the door. This set sounded different than Sayu's gentle taps. The Whammy was here, whichever one it was.

"Raito-kun! Is Amane Misa in there with you?" Misa winced. Of course it had to be _him_. Luckily, she had replenished her blood, which meant she was strong enough to take him yet again, but with so many humans around…

Raito's eyes widened, and Misa tightened her iron grip around the boy. Could she perhaps just steal her mate away? Take him to her house, lock him in her basement? Surely he would learn to love her if they lived together twenty-four-seven?

As if able to read her mind, the human opened his mouth. "Yes, she-!" Misa smothered his words with her hand, then her lips. Why could he just keep quiet while she thought of her next move?

"Amane-san, open the door." A deeper voice, probably Raito's father, said. "We would like to speak with you."

The brunet in her arms managed to jerk his face away from her. "Misa, my father is here, please don't let him see me this way."

The blond model blinked. "See you what way, Raito?"

"L-like this, at your mercy." Raito dipped his head. "I c-can't protect myself even from _you."_ She felt her breath catch when she saw the sheen of tears over his eyes.

"You don't need to protect yourself from Misa!"

Raito's face flushed red, wrenching desperately at his pinned arms, and Misa felt the hunger in her throat. "You psychotic pervert, you just wait. You think I'm easy, don't you? I'm some sort of amusement for you to play with? I'm not as harmless as you think. I will fucking make you _pay."_

Raito's father's voice called out from behind the door before Misa could do any form of damage control. "If you don't let us in, Amane Misa, we will be forced to break down the- _wait_ , Hideki-san!"

The door blasted open, Raito's latch flying aside as the dark-haired vampire stormed into the room, wresting the model from her mate and throwing her to the ground. He climbed on top of her, pulling her arms behind her and whipping out a pair of handcuffs.

Raito's father stood in full police uniform at the doorway, with Sayu and another younger policeman. He looked uncomfortable, his arms crossed over his chest and mouth pursed. Misa gaped at them, speechless.

Her teenage mate himself spoke up hesitantly. "What's going on? What are you doing here, Ryuuzaki? And why are you handcuffing Misa?"

Ryuuzaki himself didn't turn away from Misa for even a millisecond, keeping his glassy dark gaze fixed on her, smouldering with contempt and loathing as he snapped the cuffs on too tight.

"Amane Misa, you are to be detained and interrogated under suspicion for the double murders of Hishida Shino and Kousaka Ouji."

Raito froze, and there was the shadow of a smirk on Ryuuzaki's lips. Misa hissed and snarled, fighting her bonds. "This is a lie! He's doing this to get me away from my Raito!" How dare he do this in front of him? _How dare he?_ She was going to kill him for this, she was going to disembowel him and rip apart his guts!

"Miss Amane, anything you say can and will be used against you, so please use my son's name sparingly." Yagami Soichiro said reproachfully.

The young officer behind him laughed nervously and ruffled his own black hair. "Besides, it can't possibly be a mistake. These are the orders from the Detective L."

.

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A/N: this would be my longest chapter yet, wouldn't it? XD it's also one of my favourites, Misa's such a fun character to write XD please review!


	14. Negotiation

Chapter 14: Negotiation

"Otou-san! Wait!" The police heard a shout just as they were loading Misa into the waiting car. L stopped and bit at his nail, watching the lanky form of Light Yagami rush out of the front door, flurried and dishevelled, completely unlike his usual composed demeanour. The teenager ran up to them, stopping shortly before his father. "Otou-san, I want to come along."

The straight-laced police officer L knew to be Soichiro Yagami, the most disciplined police officer in the NPA pressed his lips together and clapped his son on the shoulder. "Sorry, son. I can't have you meddling with a murder case. What this woman has done is beyond terrifying, I do not want you near it."

"But it's that case! It's the one you showed-" Light was stopped by a single piercing look from the chief of the NPA. L narrowed his eyes, intrigued. "I-I mean, she's my friend. I just want to…she tried to…" He looked over at L himself, and the detective had to keep from instantly going over to the brunet and hugging him tight when faced with that pleading look. "Ryuuzaki, you know I need to be there."

 _No, you really don't._

L pursed his lips, wondering what to say when there was a loud thump from inside the police vehicle. The three of them looked inside to see the young officer, Matsuda, hurrying to the back and slamming the door shut again. Soichiro Yagami's eyes widened. "There is a child-lock on that door! How did she get it open? Matsuda, what did you do?"

"I didn't do anything! She _broke the lock_ somehow! Yagami-san, help me!" The two police officers put their back into keeping the door closed with the model shoving it from inside. The door opened a crack again and they could hear the blond girl's yells once more. "Raito! Raito, _Misa didn't do it!_ Ryuuzaki is framing Misa! Ryuuzaki wants to keep Raito away from Misa! He wants to claim you for himself! Don't go to him, Raito! He's going to hurt you! _He's going to take you from Misa!"_

Near _had_ mentioned it being a bad idea to retrieve Misa in a regular police vehicle but L had decided that it would be better if the officers in charge of her experienced her strength firsthand.

L was about to intervene when Light suddenly stalked past him, striding confidently to where his father and Matsuda were pressing their bodies into the door.

"Otou-san, get out of the way, please." He said softly, much to policemen's bafflement.

"Yagami-kun, if we get out of the way she will push the door open! She's crazy strong!" Matsuda gasped out.

"Trust me, Matsuda-san, she won't. Just give me space." Light stated confidently.

L called from where he was. "Let him do what he is planning, Matsuda-san, Yagami-san." Light glanced up at him in surprise when the officers actually obeyed him, but with a shake of his head, he directed his attention to the model who was shoving the door open and spilling out into the street.

"Raito! Misa didn't do it, Raito! You have to believe Misa, she didn't do what Ryuuzaki is telling you!" She broke the chain between her handcuffs with one quick jerk and grabbed him in a rib-crunching hug, preparing herself to drag him along the road as if L would just allow that. Light's face flickered with discomfort and L gritted his teeth. Oh, what he would do to just smack that woman across the face…

"Misa, I believe you." Raito managed to gasp and Misa squealed with delight.

"You do? You believe Misa! Raito believes in Misa, he loves her!" She crowed, dragging Light's face down and planting a vicious kiss on his lips. The brunet smothered a pained groan. Enraged, L stalked over with his hands in fists but stopped dead when Light gave him a fierce look.

"Misa, I believe you, but-"

"But what? Nothing else matters! Only Raito matters to Misa!" Another kiss that was obviously forced on the brunet, the model's hands fisted in his hair. This was getting a bit too much. L's fists shook with the effort it was taking him not to rush in and decapitate the blonde. The detective could see how this was affecting Light's father as well, the man was wide-eyed, watching the pair of them with his mouth gaping open.

Light finally managed to wrench his face from Amane. "Misa! Fucking _think_ for one second! What does it matter if I believe you if you're wanted by the law?" His breaths were shallow, his expression too obviously frightened. "Y-you have to prove your innocence and come back to me. I can't be with you otherwise. I'm a policeman's son. I can't be with a fugitive. You understand, don't you?"

The model pouted. "Misa can run away from these people, and take her Raito with her! She can take him away, it'll be easy!"

 _"Amane Misa!"_ Soichiro Yagami roared, drawing his gun and flicking off the safety. "Step away from my son this instant!"

"Otou-san…I-it's okay." Light managed to choke out. "Misa won't do that to me. Y-you care about me, right, Misa? You d-don't want to hurt me, right?"

"Never! Misa would never hurt her Raito, not in her wildest dreams!"

"Then do this for me. Cooperate with the police, prove your innocence and come back to me. I want to be with you the right way, understand?"

Misa's eyes grew so large L was sure they would pop out any second. "Raito wants to be with Misa?"

"The right way." Light whispered. "Only if you cooperate with the police and do this the right way. Don't fight them, don't resist, even if it looks bad for you. Okay?"

"Okay, Raito. Misa won't fight. She will go through this for you. She will do _anything_ for you, Raito!" The model chirped loudly, going for another hug but stopping herself when Light gently held her by the shoulders.

He bowed his head. "So go with them now. Get in the vehicle and cooperate. I'm not going to come along, but you still have to cooperate. Got it?"

"Got it! Misa is so glad Raito chooses her!" She happily jumped into the car and slammed the door shut. "Misa will see you later, Raito!" She waved cheerily as Matsuda entered the driver's seat and took her hands to handcuff them once more.

"Yagami-san, we should get there quick and put her away!" Matsuda called, buckling his seatbelt.

Soichiro Yagami was still paralysed where he was, gun lowered but still in hand. "Raito…"

"Otou-san, she's going to cooperate for now." His caramel eyes were unflinching. "Put her away before she changes her mind."

The policeman finally tucked his gun into his belt. "Raito, my son, we have to have a talk about this. Will you be alright on your own for now?"

"He won't be alone, Yagami-san. I'll take care of him." L said briskly, taking Light's arm gently in his own. The brunet politely but firmly yanked it away.

"I'll be fine, Otou-san. Thank you for the concern." He said shortly, turning on his heel and marching back to the house. The policeman followed his path with his gaze anxiously before looking over at L. "Are you sure you can watch over him for a little while? Will L allow it?"

"I have performed my task for L, he is satisfied with my work. I have no other duties for now. I can definitely watch over Raito-kun, he is my friend."

Yagami nodded. "Alright. Thank you, Hideki-san." He walked over to the passenger side of the car and slipped inside, the car starting and speeding off towards L's detainment facility.

L swiftly followed Light's beeline towards the house. "Raito-kun!" He caught up with the teenager easily, which was no huge feat because the boy was standing stock-still in front of the front door. "Raito-kun, what are you doing?"

The brunet didn't move, his expression blank as a slate. He shivered faintly, his gaze boring a hole into the floor.

L frowned, putting a hand on his shoulder. "Why aren't you going inside?"

"Please go away." His voice was tiny, and another tremor passed through the brunet's body, making the boy wrap his arms around himself. L widened his eyes, stepping closer.

"Raito-kun…"

"I can't…I need…please go away." He swallowed. "Leave me alone. Please. I-I need a moment. I can't…talk right now."

L sighed. "We don't have to talk. Raito-kun, let's go inside." He started to tug Light's arm towards the house but the teenager snatched it away.

"I can't!" He screamed. "I can't go inside, I can't go anywhere!" L jumped when Light slammed his fist into the wall. "Nowhere is safe anymore! She'll get in everywhere, she'll find me no matter where I am, she'll disable all my traps, she'll fight me and…and…" He crumpled, covering his face with his hands, his knees buckling. L hurried to wrap his arms around the boy and keep him standing. The brunet suddenly threw his arms around the detective's neck and buried his face in his shoulder.

"S-she could have _murdered_ me, Ryuuzaki. Any of those nights, if I hadn't noticed…" He hiccupped and L's shoulder felt warm and damp. Was he…crying?

L was caught between feeling horrified and intoxicated. Light trusted him enough to see him at his worst. He _trusted_ him. "She could have done whatever she wanted…she's so fucking strong she could have done anything…" Light cried, clutching L so tightly that the pressure nearly hurt despite his stone-hard skin.

L patted his back soothingly. "Raito-kun, it'll be alright. You handled yourself really well. Here, come sit here." The detective guided him to the front porch, sitting down at the edge of it, his legs dangling into their sparse lawn. Light folded with him, sobbing into his sweatshirt. L reached over and pulled the brunet's head to his chest. "It's okay, Raito-kun, it's okay…"

"She'll come b-back, Ryuuzaki! She could come back and do worse…I don't know what to do! I've tried everything and it doesn't work! I'm no match for her, she's going to kill me, Ryuuzaki, I don't want to die!" Light shook as he wept, his every breath heaving. "I don't want to die, Ryuuzaki…"

"You won't, I can guarantee that." L swallowed, breathing in the boy's distressed scent and feeling his heart beat alive for a few seconds, desperate to help him. "I will protect you, Raito-kun, whatever it takes."

Light stilled mid-sob, letting out a shaky breath. Ryuuzaki patted his back soothingly until the brunet finally straightened and swiped his long grey sleeve over his cheeks, his eyes trained on the floor.

L inched closer to the teenager and cupped his face, running his cold thumb over Light's bruised, swollen lip _._ "I'm sorry."

Light shook his head. "You have nothing to apologise for, you were very kind-"

"No, see, I worded that wrong before. What I meant was, I will _assist_ you in protecting _yourself_." L smiled. "You are no damsel in distress."

Light blinked, surprised. "You…" He stared at Ryuuzaki a minute, and L's smile grew wider. The brunet let out a disbelieving laugh. "You bastard." His face split into a wide grin. "You condescending bastard!" And the laugh burst out of him, the teenager was clutching his stomach and cackling with laughter. L couldn't take his eyes off of him, his amusement was radiant.

"You're such a…fucking…condescending…know-it-all bastard." He managed to gasp out in between laughs. "I've gone through the most harrowing experience of my life and you mock me for it?" That started another marathon of laughter, which he only stopped when his lips ached enough to press them against the flat of his wrist.

"Well, technically I wasn't mocking. I was only telling the truth." L shrugged, nibbling off the tip of the nail. "I am not very good at consoling people."

"No shit you're not. 'You're no damsel in distress?' Seriously, fuck you, Ryuuzaki."

L studied his toes, pale and long in the morning light. "I didn't mean it that way, Raito-kun. I meant, I would help you however you want me to."

"So say that then." Light finally caught himself and grinned, nudging L in the ribs. "Just say that, that would have been perfect."

"But it wouldn't have made you laugh." L pointed out, working at his forefinger. "I rather enjoy seeing Raito-kun laugh." With a cheeky grin, the detective switched fluently to English. "It makes his whole face light up."

Light sighed. "You did not just make that pun."

L gave the teenager a toothy smile. "I'm simply making light of the situation."

"Oh my fucking god, that was terrible." Light elbowed the pale man. "Try harder, you're supposed to be smart!"

"I'm supposed to be smart? Well, that's a de _light_ ful compliment." L dodged Light's elbow. "Okay, perhaps the first one was a fluke."

"Perhaps?" Light chuckled, cocking his head as his caramel eyes studied the detective's face. Slowly, he raised his hand and brushed L's long black fringe out of his eyes. "Thank you, Ryuuzaki. I really appreciate this."

"No appreciation necessary, Raito-kun." L turned away, his gaze on the clouds in the pale blue sky. "I simply hate seeing you upset."

Light's head tilted up to study the same clouds as the detective, his amber eyes flitting about as they followed them across the pale blue sky.

It took a minute before Light's voice softly piped up again. "Um, Ryuuzaki?"

"Yes?"

There was another beat. L looked over, slightly concerned, as Light continued to keep his eyes fixed on the sky. "Raito-kun?"

"Do you…remember my movie offer? From the car last night?" Light's fingers laced together in his lap. "It's still valid, if you want."

L's stomach filled with knots. "You mean, when you…asked me out?"

"Precisely." The teenager remarked. "Nice of you to remember."

The detective wrinkled his nose, edging closer to the brunet, bumping hips with him and taking in a noseful of his cake-and-sugar scent. Happy, he was happy. L had made him _happy_ for once. It thrilled him in ways he could never have imagined before Tokyo. "Well…I don't know …"

Light sighed. "Yeah, it's fine, I didn't expect-"

"Maybe we should choose a casual walk in the park instead. With all the stress of this morning, I am once again worried about your concussion."

"It's not that bad a concussion, Ryuuzaki!" Light laughed. "People get it much worse, this one is mild. God. Even your guardian said you were overreacting."

The detective ran his hand down Light's back. "I am also worried for your bruises. With how that woman was handling you, I can't help but feel she worsened your condition." His midnight eyes raked over the teenager's body. "I suppose it would be inappropriate if I asked to see how badly she injured you? I can see what she did to your mouth, did she wound you anywhere else?" L touched the boy's bottom lip. Its normally cotton-candy pink colour was a shadowed purplish, swollen larger than usual.

Light smirked, shrugging him off. "Save it for the second date, loser. I'm not that easy." He gave him a small smile. "No, I'm not hurt anywhere else, except the bruising from yesterday."

L blinked his large dark eyes. "Perhaps Raito-kun would like some ice? Shall I ask his sister for some?"

"No, Ryuuzaki. It doesn't even hurt." Light chuckled, reaching over and ruffling the detective's bushy mane. "It's sweet of you to care, though."

L sighed contentedly. Fuck dates, he was more than happy to just sit there on the porch with Raito-kun's hand messing up his hair fondly.

Unfortunately, Light chose that moment to stand up, offering L a hand. "There's a park a couple blocks away. Do you want to go now?"

L took it. "Sure. I told your father I would be keeping an eye on you anyway."

Light grinned cheekily. "Great! Then I'll have more than enough time to ask you why you were with the police in the world famous Detective L's stead arresting a serial killer. You have a lot to explain." He winked at the detective as he loped along out the collapsible gate, leaving L tripping over his feet to catch up.

.

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A/N: Ah, sweet, fluffy banter :D review me please!


	15. Questions

Chapter 15: Questions

Light gave L a sideways look as the detective finally snapped his phone shut and slumped along to walk beside the brunet.

"You done so soon? What did they even say?"

The detective opened his mouth and snapped it quickly shut, giving Light a rueful look. "Raito-kun is surprisingly good at persuading people to give him classified information."

"Yeah? Well, Ryuuzaki-kun is surprisingly good at hiding information. Or should I call you Hideki-kun?" Light grinned, bumping L as they walked along the wide streets of Tokyo on the way to the park a few blocks away. "When did you become a detective, Hideki-kun? Are you even a college student?" He lowered his voice conspiratorially, leaning in close enough for his lips to brush against L's wild black hair. "Don't tell me, you were undercover to spy on Misa from the beginning. That's why you got close to me, because where I am, Misa always is." He paused. "Excepting the near future, of course."

L grimaced, disgruntled. "I did not realise Raito-kun uses humour as a means of disguising insecurities."

"Oh, I'm perfectly serious. Anyway, I'm not surprised, you do _not_ look eighteen years old."

That surprised L. He blinked, staring up at the brunet's sparkling honey-brown eyes. "How old would you gauge me to be?"

Light shrugged. "I don't know, twenty-four? Twenty-five? You've got an extended adolescence thing going."

L raised his eyebrows, impressed. He had indeed been twenty-five when he was bitten, seventy-odd years ago in an orphanage in Winchester. "Very perceptive of you, Raito-kun."

"Thank you." Light did a little bow, giving L a friendly smile. "So? Are you going to explain who you are or is that classified information too?"

L crossed his arms, wishing he could crouch down into his thinking posture. Light was being difficult again, he wasn't acting like a normal person would when faced with something like this. A normal person would be much more upset over an enormous deception such as this. What was running through his head? Which should he choose, truth or lie?

Light groaned exaggeratedly. "Alright then, I get it. Lips are sealed. So that's question one off the list, what was question two? I'd made a list this morning, Misa interrupted me while I was finishing it up." He looked over his shoulder back in the direction of the house. "Do you mind if I pop back there for a second? It would be awesome if I tracked all my doubts about you before they overwhelm me."

L nibbled anxiously at his fingernail. "Raito-kun, are you genuinely so casual about this? Please help me out here, I don't want to mess things up and I am unable to stay rational around you."

The brunet raised his eyebrows. "You want me to make things easier for you?"

L tilted his head, studying the boy's profile as they walked along. That confident smile, those piercing, focussed dark-gold eyes, that slight upward tilt that made him look like he was raising his nose in the air… "Is Raito-kun playing with me on purpose?"

Light flicked some hair out of his eyes. "Well…partially. Ryuuzaki, you know how I work, this is just how I talk." He sighed. "Fine, I'll say it. I trust you. Whatever secrets you're hiding, I picked up on them a long time ago, it's intriguing. I always knew you weren't going to college to get a degree, I knew you and your brothers have some ulterior motive, scoping the student population. Possibly conmen, but, really…" He gave L a fleetingly sardonic grin. "I thought you were predators looking for your next victim."

Light walked along for a bit before realising that his partner had stopped dead a metre ago.

"What did you say?" L whispered, dread a python coiling around his heart and squeezing. Light's smile dropped as he absorbed the expression on L's face.

"No, I mean, once I got to know you, I was convinced you weren't." Light chuckled nervously, loping back to the older man and circling his arm around him. "I didn't suspect you being _serious_ predators, not like human trafficking or anything."

L deflated. _Oh,_ that _type of predator_. He leaned into Light as they resumed their walk, turning the corner into a deserted side road. "I meant it more of an elaborate con kind." The teenager rolled his eyes. "Once I talked to you, though, I realised you're pretty much incapable of charming anybody into anything, and that goes for every one of your brothers."

The detective snorted. "So it's not like you ruled out my being a creepy asshole because you realised I have a good heart, nothing like that."

"Nope!" The brunet nudged the black-haired man playfully. "Unless you have a very loose definition of _good heart_."

L pouted sulkily. "I'll have you know I've helped thousands of people as a detective on an almost daily basis, Yagami Raito."

"Ah, so you're a practicing detective, then. Not just some sort of assistant for L. Good to know." Light's voice was smugly triumphant.

L paused, snapping his mouth shut so fast he felt his jaws clack. "You will not manipulate me into giving you information again."

"I didn't manipulate you, Ryuuzaki. Hideki. Partner of L. You gave me that on your own."

The detective pursed his lips. "I am not a partner of L. I am one of the contacts L uses for field work occasionally."

"You'll have a hard time convincing me of that." Light smirked. "Just like you'll have a hard time convincing me L's real assistant isn't Watari."

 _Fuck_. L suddenly whipped around, seizing Light by the shoulders and yanking him forward until their noses almost touched. "Shut your mouth, Raito. Keep your mouth shut. Do not say one more word."

Startled, Light flinched. "Ryu-"

He squeezed the boy's shoulders cruelly. "Do you think this is some sort of a game? Think you'll win a prize at the end of it? _You won't_ , trust me."

"Ryuuzaki-"

"Do not dare ask me another question about my past, Raito, I'm warning you."

The brunet cringed in his grasp, his face scrunching with pain. "Ryuuzaki, let me go, you're hurting me!"

L immediately released him and the teenager backed away, wrapping his arms around himself. He stared at the detective, wide-eyed and baffled. L surged forward, going to place a cooling hand where Light was holding his shoulder, but the younger man stepped smartly out of his reach.

"Raito-kun, it was an accident…"

Light dipped his head forward so his auburn fringe shadowed his eyes. He let out a series of tight breaths that could have been a laugh in another world. "You sure have a lot of these accidents." L stilled, watching as Light looked away, his amber eyes glimmering with tears. "I-I'm sorry. I won't ask you anymore. It's none of my business."

L gulped. "Just about this, Raito-kun. You understand why this would be…sensitive information, don't you? L is a very secretive person, if any information about him leaks, it would be a terrible catastrophe. Apart from this, though…"

"Of course." Light breathed.

They were silent for a little while. L bowed his head, the guilt clutching at his insides. What had he done? He had never meant to frighten Light, much less hurt him _again_. He always messed things up, _always_. Why couldn't he do one thing right?

"Do you…still want to go?"

L looked up. "What?"

Light had composed himself, his cheeks regaining his original colour as he let go of his upper arms. Hesitantly, the teenager pointed his thumb in the direction of the park. "Do you want to go to the park?"

L was dumbfounded. "You still want to go with me?"

Light managed a faint smirk. "Yeah."

L's mouth opened and closed like a fish out of water.

The brunet sighed. "I should have known it was classified information. It's selfish of me to interrogate you this way. It was my fault. I won't pry."

"I-I didn't mean to hurt you, Raito-kun, I truly didn't. I would never…" L looked down at his feet, his scuffed tennis shoes. "I swear to you, Raito-kun, that I didn't mean to-"

"I know, Ryuuzaki."

L glanced up worriedly, surveying Light's face, trying to interpret the expression on it and failing miserably. It wasn't blank, that was for sure. The boy's shadowed eyes were trained to the ground, his face carefully masked, his injured lip mercilessly chewed on by his straight white teeth.

Finally, the brunet raised his head, but his expression did not grow less ambiguous. "It's my fault. You, Misa, your brothers, you're all stronger than I am, I'm the weak one here. You can't control yourself around me because you're not used to me yet. So I don't blame you." He sighed. "I won't try to figure out why, don't worry. Just…try to be gentler with me. I'm pretty sure if I get any more bruises I won't be able to move."

Suddenly, for the first time in years, decades, nearly a century, L's vision burned and blurred with tears. "R-Raito-kun, I should stay away from you…we should all stay away from you, we're going to hurt you…"

"Don't be ridiculous." Light smiled an entirely faked smile that brightened every part of his face but his eyes. "You're the only person in my life who's interesting, to say the least. I'm not letting you go that easily." He sauntered over to the detective, hands in his pockets, and gently elbowed him in the ribs.

"Raito-kun, I'll take you home."

Light looked away. "Shut up. Didn't you hear me? I may not trust you yet, but I don't think you'll ever hurt me on purpose. I want to be with you, if you'll have me."

"Besides…" The boy smiled softly, and his eyes sparkled this time. "I care about you, asshole."

Without a backward glance, he strolled off in the direction of the park and it took Ryuuzaki a long time to compose himself enough to follow.

.

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A/N: Raise your hand if you think L needs a slap across the face XD review and comment please!


	16. Damage Control

Chapter 16: Damage Control

It was love at first sight.

Or at least it would have been if Mello didn't have Matt breathing down his neck _. Wow, she was hot._ The blonde tried not to drool when he caught a whiff of her sharp misty scent beneath the heavy perfume she bathed in. "Amane Misa is beautiful."

"Excuse me?" Matt crossed his arms, leaning back against the wall of the cell they were imprisoning the blond girl in. "Did I hear that right?"

"What? I'm just making an observation." Mello looked back into the high-security cell, where the slender girl sat primly with her legs tucked under her at the steel table, her hazel eyes fixed on the police officers waiting soberly in front of her. "She's really cute."

"Well, she's also a murderer." The redhead pointed out, taking a puff of his cigarette.

Mello darted a look at him. "So am I. Technically."

"Shut up, Mello. Near can't save your ass more than once, you know. It's lucky we found this idiot tromping around murdering people every now and then, who else could we have pinned it on?"

The blonde shrugged. "We didn't have to pin it on anybody, we could just have let the case go cold. Pinning it on her doesn't feel right, Matty. It feels like L blackmailing Near into eliminating his competition. And that's not fair."

The redhead took a long drag of his cigarette. "See, you're right. But she's not an innocent. She legitimately murdered Hishida Shino."

Mello sighed. "And I legitimately murdered Kousaka Ouji. I don't see why she has to pay for her crimes _and_ mine. Besides, it's just what we do. We're _vampires_."

Matt frowned. "She's not going to pay for them. The Volturi will extract her and keep her in their quarters, they can't have the humans give her the death sentence and find out she doesn't die. As long as we keep the case from the public, as we have, she's in no real danger."

There was a pause as Matt puffed his cigarette casually and Mello stared through the one-way glass at the patiently still model.

"I don't think this is a good idea, Matt. She's only done what we all do, and she's getting charged for it."

The redhead laughed. "Why do _you_ suddenly have a conscience? You're the one who's usually screaming about killing everyone."

"Yeah, but those are the guilty people and the ones in the way! Not the ones who happen to have a crush on the same human you do. How is that fair? Just because L is L…"

Matt groaned, clapping Mello on the shoulder. "It's not just that she's crushing on the same person, idiot. It's the fact that she threatened the person L wants as his mate. She said she would kill him, you know, and probably attack all of us as well. She's a threat to the family, it's lucky we didn't get Watari involved instead of Near or this whole thing might have gone to a whole new level."

The blonde rolled his eyes. "Yeah, Watari's _so_ formidable. I haven't seen the fucker do anything except manage our finances and bake L scones."

"And rescue us every time we get ourselves in a jam. Wow, Mells, it's like you have selective amnesia. Even _L_ admits Watari's literally the best at everything. I mean, remember last year? The reason we enrolled in college in the first place?"

Mello grumbled. "Whatever, Matt. You're not getting me on your side, it's not fair. How does she deserve to be restrained by the Volturi?"

"She doesn't, but that's what she gets for threatening our family." Matt blew out another cloud of smoke.

The blonde stared at the willowy girl, watching her as she dipped her head and sighed. "I think we should do the right thing and let her go. This isn't okay. Near is such a fucking pushover, he just does anything L says for nothing."

Matt's expression grew incredulous. "Wow, you're acting like this because of Near, aren't you? Because he was more useful than you."

"No! What?"

Matt giggled. "You _are!_ Get over yourself, Mello, Near is the first-ranker! Just accept it!"

The blonde glared at his boyfriend, tugging his leather vest tighter around himself. "I have two words for you, Matt: Fuck. Off."

The redhead burst into a new volley of giggles.

* * *

"So how did Misa get arrested anyway? Like what proof did they get?"

L wasn't sure how he had managed to get to this point in his life. Only about a month ago, he was watching Yagami Raito from the corner of the class, hoping to sit beside him but not daring to make a move…and look at them now. They were sitting on a park bench with the afternoon light dappled through the leaves of the trees, slurping down ice-cream cones like two ordinary college students on a particularly romantic date.

Light licked his vanilla scoop delicately, his pink tongue darting out as if afraid to be caught in action. "Well? That can't possibly be classified, Ryuuzaki, it should be public knowledge."

L slurped off a side of his own double-scooped chocolate, which was tilting dangerously to the side. "I guess your vow not to ask anymore was always doomed to be short-lived." Light pursed his lips and L grinned, biting off another chunk of chocolate. "Alright, Raito-kun, I concede. We found her hair at the site of the murder of Hishida Shino, as well as a number of her fingerprints. She was charged with the murder of Kousaka Ouji due to the disturbing similarity between the two."

Light grimaced. "So how was she even doing it? Draining all of their blood like that without any fatal wounds or needle marks? Do you know anything?"

L raised his eyebrows. "…well. Your father is clearly very free with information."

The brunet paused, his eyes darting from his snowy ice-cream to L and back. His forehead creased as he tried to think up an excuse. "No, my father didn't... I, uh, sneaked one of his files from his briefcase when he got home from work." Appropriate sheepish look, appropriate apologetic grin. "I was curious, I didn't mean any harm." He gave L a charming, brilliant smile. "Please don't tell him."

L chuckled under his breath. "Lie."

His smile faded. "I'm telling the truth, I didn't mean any harm. I'm going to be a detective when I graduate, so I read up on dad's files sometimes if he ever brings them home, just to get the hang of it." He pressed his sore lip to his scoop. "I swear, Ryuuzaki, I haven't said a word about its contents to anybody but you-"

"Raito-kun, don't you remember when you freely admitted to me that your father gives you cases to solve?"

Light laughed, but there was a strained note to the sound. "Those are just petty scams, obviously. I'm not even a detective yet, how could he show me anything more? Besides, I couldn't possibly contribute anything to a murder investigation. Stop being ridiculous."

"Another lie." L said in a sing-song voice as he bit through half of his chocolate scoop, dislodging some chocolate chips and picking them up between his thumb and index finger. "As I've told you before, you only ever use _false_ modesty, Raito-kun."

Light's smile finally dropped and his face grew very grave. "Are you accusing me of blatant dishonesty, Ryuuzaki? Do I really seem like the kind of person who would keep lying even after he's called out?"

L balanced one of the chocolate chips carefully on the tip of his tongue, biting into it and feeling the taste of chocolate melt in his mouth. "Yes, you do."

There was a brief silence, and L was sure Light was preparing to deck him across the face. Instead, though, the brunet unconsciously coated his bruised lip with the ice-cream and licked it off. His brown eyes were downcast. "I'm sorry you have such a terrible opinion of me, but it's not true." He nibbled into his half-melted cone.

L felt a knot of bewildered concern in his stomach as he studied the insulted teenager. "Don't you want credit for your contributions? I mean, knowing how insightful you usually are, it would only help your future career if people recognised from where your father reached his conclusions."

"I didn't contribute anything." Light said softly, keeping all of his attention on his melting dessert. "Only minor perspectives on minor cases, it won't help anybody to find out. You're overestimating my intelligence, Ryuuzaki."

L's eyebrows knitted as he finished off his scoop and crunched at his still-dry cone. "Interesting." He drew his legs up on the bench and sat on the balls of his feet, contemplative.

"To answer your question, Raito-kun, Amane Misa drew the blood from a wound at the neck. She's a copycat killer, her kills are based on an English serial killer known as Kira, we found a shrine dedicated to him in her house which basically confirms the hypothesis."

"Hmm." Light shuttered his eyes as he considered that, his lip pressing into his cone. L quirked a smile.

"Is the ice-cream helping your injury, Raito-kun?"

Light looked up, his eyes large and startlingly blank. "Sorry?"

The detective inched closer to the boy, still crouching. "I thought you said it didn't hurt and you didn't need ice."

The teenager grinned, burying his lip deeper into the frozen sugar. "Yeah, well. It's soothing."

"The cold helps, doesn't it?"

Light laughed. "I get what you're trying to say, Jack Frost, but it can wait for the second date. Why are you in such a hurry?"

L slid closer, snuggling against the brunet. "We have already kissed, Raito, there is no real need to wait."

"Yeah, but that was all pretend, wasn't it? It doesn't count."

The detective placed a hand on Light's cheek and turned his head so they brushed noses. "It was most definitely not pretend on my part. And if it was on yours, we will have to remedy that immediately."

Light blushed, and it was so adorable L felt like taking him then and there. If only he wasn't so fragile… "Alright. But be careful with the bruising."

His breath was sweet and his aura sweeter, making L feel giddy. "I will always be careful with you, Raito-kun. You will never be hurt by me again."

Their lips had only just touched when Light flinched back, his eyes suddenly wide in horrified realisation. "Wait a second. Fuck, Ryuuzaki, if you've searched her house, does that mean you found…?"

L dropped his gaze. He knew he would remember it eventually. "Yes, Raito-kun. We had to find it. It is a useful clue against her."

"And my father? Did he see it?" He sounded so panicked that L wished he could just invent a story to cover it all up (but no, that was more Light's style).

"Well…" The detective ducked his head sheepishly. "He is the chief investigative officer, and he is about to interview her. He…should have been updated by now."

 _"Damn it!"_ The teenager jumped to his feet. "Damage control! Fuck!" He straight-up bounded off, leaving L more than puzzled on the park bench. "I need to get home!" The brunet yelled over his shoulder as he ran. "I'll call you later!"

L burst out laughing. "You don't have my number!" But Light's silhouette had already receded, and L was pretty sure he wouldn't want the detective skulking around in the shadows after the whole stalker fiasco.

"Oh well." He finished off the cone in his hands. It was only a day, and if worst came to worst, he was the detective L. It wasn't hard to find a teenager's phone number.

 _Damage control_. L sighed. He hoped Light was just being dramatic and Yagami Soichiro didn't have any actual damage to control in his wake.

* * *

The Chief of the NPA stared down the blond model handcuffed in front of him. Matsuda was standing in the way of the cameras, not allowing L to see what was on the interrogation table. The older man laced his fingers on the table, on top of the several sheets of paper spread out in front of them both, pages and pages of pictures of a certain amber-eyed brunet oblivious to the stalker tracking his every movement.

The girl was staring at the pictures, her face paling as she strained to think of what to say.

Soichiro narrowed his eyes, his glasses glinting in the light.

"How long have you had your sights on my son, Amane Misa?"

She blinked up at him, smiling nervously. "Otou-san, this is a misunderstanding…Misa would never-"

"Don't call me that." The Chief of the NPA straightened his glasses on his nose, his gaze intimidating in its cool rage. He pushed one of the pages, the one especially filled with images and images of the teenager, in front of the woman and straightened his glasses on his nose, his gaze so severe it could melt steel.

"How long has my son escaped death at your hands?"

.

.

A/N: I quite like the headcanon that Soichiro is actually a really protective and loving father! Review and comment please!


	17. Nighttime

Chapter 17: Nighttime

When it was this late at night, Soichiro Yagami usually stayed in at the police station. They had reasonably comfortable desks to sleep on at the NPA, and he always got a lot of work done when he stayed the night, much more than he could ever do at home.

L's detainment facility didn't actually have comfortable desks, but that wasn't the reason he was returning home.

The fact that it was now L's case entirely would usually have bothered him. The Director had bowed down to the detective, giving him all rights over Misa Amane, a so-called exceptional case due to her mutation. A European genetic malfunction that L happened to be an expert in, a malfunction that made a person superhumanly strong, it was a no-brainer for the Director, he didn't want to have to deal with the press that came from a mutant pop-star who just so happened to have murdered two people and stalked the son of the Chief of the NPA.

Usually, it would have annoyed him that the Director had caved so easily, but this time he was relieved. The Detective L wasn't going to let her out anytime soon. Amane Misa was guaranteed a death sentence with the world's best detective at the helm.

Chief Yagami climbed out of his car, slamming the door shut wearily as he trudged up the porch and stuck his key in the lock.

He wasn't proud of what he had done to the girl. She had been defenceless, chained up, at his mercy…but she had threatened his son. She had stalked him, broken into his room, threatened to kidnap him…

It was just past midnight, so Sachiko would be deep asleep. He knew for a fact that Sayu stayed up reading perverted manga under the covers until one in the morning. He had no idea what his son did, but he did know that the boy didn't sleep for hours yet on weekends, holed up in his bedroom with the door locked.

The police officer took off his coat and hung it up on the hook by the door. He slid off his shoes and padded upstairs.

The man peeked into his own bedroom, which was, as expected, pitch black. He could hear his wife's soft breaths as she snored. He remembered when she would wait up for him in the initial days of their marriage. That had been worn out of her soon enough. He quietly slid her door shut again and stepped down the hallway.

Sometimes, Soichiro wondered if it was his fault his family was the way it was. Picture-perfect, with the model son, chirpy daughter, dutiful mother and dignified father. It was the ideal kind of family you would see in a magazine, laughing over dinner or going on vacation, loving each other.

And yet, somehow, it was rotting inside.

His wife was depressed, his daughter lived in the shadow of her brother and Raito…his son was the worst of them all, cutting himself off from everyone and everything as if he couldn't depend on them, as if they had already failed him so many times that he didn't see the point of confiding in them anymore.

And it was all because of Soichiro. Perhaps if he had spent more time with them…

Chief Yagami frowned. He was in the middle of the hallway and he could hear strange sounds coming from the end of it, from around Raito's room. It was raw sound, very nearly a scream, pained and terrified.

 _Amane Misa_. She couldn't have escaped, and definitely not so soon! He had checked in on her only half an hour ago, before he left the facility, but who else could it be? Soichiro whipped out his gun, holding it firmly in his hand as he snarled, loping along to the door and slamming it open.

 _If that woman got near his son again…_

"Amane Misa-" He stopped himself mid-shout. The room was dark, the shuttered window letting in thin slivers of light. It took a few seconds for his eyes to adjust, but when they did, all he saw was his son curled up tightly under his covers, the only part of him visible his distinctive auburn hair, his form shivering visibly as he screamed into his pillow.

Soichiro ran up to him and knelt by his bedside. "Raito! Raito, are you-" He turned him over and was relieved for a split second when he saw that the boy was dreaming rather than physically suffering. The relief soon drowned in dread when the boy grabbed at Soichiro's collar with flailing, loose fingers, ducking his head as he whimpered.

Chief Yagami was suddenly reminded of the boy as a child. Raito had always been susceptible to night terrors, especially at age six or seven. It was why he hadn't allowed him to watch horror movies for the longest time, all the way until he had become a teenager and quietly demanded his independence.

Back then, Sachiko had dealt with it by hugging him close and rubbing his back, he remembered it distinctly because Soichiro had disapproved of the concept of it. To him, dealing with nightmares was best done alone, that was the only way one could grow stronger.

…It really _was_ his fault his son was this way.

Watching the teenager shiver in pain now, he wasn't sure how he could ever have felt that way. Maybe he had been detached from his family for so long that he had never actually bothered to empathise with them. He could never have encouraged Sachiko to leave their terrified son alone if he had seen the terror with his own eyes.

He gathered the brunet under the armpits and pulled him to a half-sitting position, letting him rest his chin on the older man's shoulder as he gently rubbed his back. Raito cried out, his breaths heavy and rapid. "Raito…Raito, it'll be fine. Relax, it'll be fine."

The brunet choked. "Otou-san, please don't."

Soichiro was startled, _was he awake?_ He drew back and started to release the brunet, but the boy clutched desperately at him and burst into tears.

"I'm sorry! I don't know why…"

 _No, not awake._ Soichiro stroked the boy's hair soothingly. "It's okay, Raito. It doesn't matter. Relax."

Raito let out another raw sob. "But I'm so tired…"

"I know, I know. Just go to sleep now." He smiled, feeling nostalgic. It had been so long since he had been able to show any actual affection towards him. There was always this wall between the boy and his father, between the boy and the entire world. He wasn't sure anybody could break through it, except perhaps in his sleep like this.

He felt the teenager finally lean against him. Light gulped in air, as if he had been drowning, and smiled shakily. "I'm so sorry." He mumbled, his words tumbling over each other. Once again, Soichiro wondered if he was awake, apologising needlessly and politely was one of Raito's trademarks, but no, the boy simply fell back onto the bed, his breaths evening out and his face relaxing.

Soichiro pulled the blankets over the boy, tucking him in and giving his hair a final affectionate rustle. Any talk they were going to have could wait until morning. He began to leave the room, but was stopped by a breathy chuckle.

Raito was smiling widely, the blankets bunched up under his chin as he curled to his side. "But thank you…Ryuuzaki."

When Soichiro Yagami re-entered the hallway, he saw Sayu standing outside her door in her nightgown, holding her phone in her hand as she looked at him with some concern.

"Otou-san, is Onii-chan okay? He's been doing this for two nights now."

Soichiro nodded. "Yes, I know. He's fine, asleep. Don't bother him."

The girl twisted her hands together. "Yes but…do you think it has something to do with Misa-Misa? I-I didn't mean to let her in, Otou-san, I really didn't know!"

The chief of the NPA felt a kind of smile grow on his face that he hadn't allowed for far too long. He mussed up Sayu's long brown hair, giving her a quick hug. "Of course it's not your fault, Sayu, none of us knew. Now off to bed with you!"

Sayu gave him a strange look. "Otou-san, are you okay? You sound like Okaa-san."

Yes, of course he would, because their mother was the only one capable of showing her love for them. He straightened his posture, turning his expression more severe, and the girl seemed satisfied. "Yeah, that's more like it. Goodnight, Otou-san!"

"Goodnight, Sayu." He said gruffly, making his way back to his bedroom where he would no doubt not be expected or missed in the slightest.

No, that wasn't fair. He was the one who had made himself inaccessible, who had failed to establish himself as someone his family could go to with their problems. He couldn't blame them for adapting to that.

No more. He wasn't going to allow his son to have night terrors and psychological trauma just because he wanted to deal with everything on his own. For all his faults, Soichiro Yagami loved his family and he would not let them rot from within. No more.

.

A/N: I did always like Yagami family fics, they have so much potential to be adorable :D Review and comment!


	18. Blocked

Chapter 18: Blocked

The very minute Light's eyes snapped open, the brunet rolled out of bed and stumbled his way to his bedroom window.

Knowing his father, and he knew his father all too well, learning that Light had a stalker would have resulted in one of two options: either he would be put on strict curfew/house arrest (an end result Sayu was prone to) or, since this was a serious case, his father would find one of his idiot childhood friends who attended a college nearby To-oh to trail him all day and report on all of his movements like he was in a shitty spy movie.

Luckily, Light had countermeasures ready for this very outcome. Not that he didn't appreciate his father's concern, but he appreciated his autonomy more. If Misa was going to attack him, having Yamamoto around spying on him would be as useless as fighting back, Light would be dead no matter what.

His only hope was L's ability to keep the model detained, but there was no reason to doubt L's capacities. Ryuuzaki, his partner, was afflicted with the same thing as Misa, so they should technically be prepared to hold her.

He checked on the makeshift cloth ladder he had tucked away into the nook of the window in case his father did something idiotic like lock him in his room.

Most of his preparations were done last evening. He had called up Yamamoto, his father's go-to spy and bribed him with a nice chunk of his savings. All of the incriminating information in his room was hidden; his list of questions for Ryuuzaki (yes, that was real), his copy of Misa's stalker diary (which he transferred to the password protected file he kept in the depths of his university documents) and all of the equipment he had used to create his surprise latch to capture his stalker three days ago. His father was infamous for going through his stuff on these rampages.

It had been a relief when his father hadn't returned for dinner last night. Light's bruises had been hurting like hell, it would have been horrible trying to hide it from a scrutinising eye. It was hard enough disguising it from his mother and sister. And to deal with Sayu's blubbering on top of that…he had almost just quit the whole ordeal and taken his dinner up into his room, but his mother would immediately have reported that to his father. That was the last thing he needed. He just had to lie low for a few weeks now, lie low and not rock the boat. It was easy, all he had to do was be perfect, unaffected Light Yagami, everything would work out.

Light grabbed a bundle of sweatpants from his dresser and slipped quietly out of his room, phone in hand, padding on tiptoes to the bathroom. He didn't want to trigger Sayu, it was very late even for a Sunday morning which meant she was guaranteed to be up, awake and weeping away out of guilt for letting a murderer barge into her brother's room.

He passed her room, still on tiptoes, and snuck into the bathroom, clicking the lock shut and finding himself face-to-face with his father's police uniform hung on the hook behind the door.

 _Damn, he wasn't at work._

If his father hadn't gone in on a Sunday, it meant one of two things. One, Misa wasn't talking and L was handling the situation (he hoped Ryuuzaki was in charge. There was something about dating the partner of the world's greatest detective that was just plain _exciting_ ). Or two, Soichiro Yagami considered Light's safety a greater priority than his work at the moment, which meant he thought this was very, very serious (which it was, but fuck it).

The brunet sighed. Oh well. He couldn't take precautions for scenarios he couldn't anticipate, but he had done whatever he could. It was too late for anything else, unless he planned to run away, and even _he_ wasn't reckless enough to do that when a superhuman serial killer had just put a target on his name.

He stood in front of the bathroom mirror and started to unbutton his nightshirt, surveying his torso. The bruising was healing well, turning a faded black-purple against his tan skin. He turned around, craning his neck to get a look at his back. He winced. His back was peppered with bruises, yellow, angry red and purple, all along where he had crashed against the wall that night.

Both Misa and Ryuuzaki were slender people, with Ryuuzaki in particular looking underfed and scrawny, too scrawny to be doing the things he did.

Light listed out his conclusions so far as he turned on the shower and waited for it to heat up. They were both superhumanly strong, pale, cold-skinned and rich. Misa had her connections in the modelling industry, which made her adequately famous, and Ryuuzaki was connected somehow to the world-famous L. They knew each other and spoke strangely.

Light stepped into the shower, letting the hot water soothe his injuries. He sighed, running his hands through his rust-brown hair. All of Ryuuzaki's brothers were the same way, cold and mysterious, and they kept talking about how Light smelled. Nate River had even opened his window to avoid breathing him in (which was very insulting. Light hadn't worn that much cologne and he _knew_ he smelled nice). Were their senses enhanced as well?

Everything about them pointed to some sort of conspiracy. There was no two ways about it, these people were not humans, or at least regular humans. Was this a side project of L's? He wouldn't be surprised, he could find nothing online about his background, and with a man of such intellect there was bound to be something dark and mysterious in his life. Was he working on some sort of medicine that enhanced people's abilities? It was what all of science was working towards after all, and Misa could definitely have found out about it through her weird occult friend group. She was rich enough to afford it too.

What did that make Ryuuzaki?

Light shut his eyes, leaning into the warm spray of water before he turned the tap off, whipping his towel from the rack.

He'd promised Ryuuzaki he wouldn't pry into his past, but did the man really expect him not to? (Would he, if the positions were switched?).

Oh well. He wasn't likely to learn anything at the moment. He had to delve deeper into some other source for answers, a source he did not currently have.

The brunet pulled on a pair of loose sweatpants and one of his father's old green polo shirts. Most of his own shirts were either button-downs or too fitting for his battered body. He then picked up his phone, flipping it open and going through his texts.

Unsurprisingly, his inbox was bursting. The entire friend circle had texted him several times, most probably asking him about his Misa's sudden arrest for drug possession, the cover L was likely using in order to avoid the publicity that came with stating that the model was a serial killer. He couldn't be bothered to actually read it.

That was yet another point for the Superhuman Conspiracy Theory, why would L have to hide her crimes if there wasn't anything shady happening behind the scenes?

He pulled his towel over his shoulder as he unlocked the door and stepped out, his eyes glued to his phone as he kept scrolling. Five missed calls from Yamamoto, probably informing him that his father had indeed called him (why couldn't he just have texted him the go word like Light had ordered him to? Why couldn't anyone follow simple instructions?).

And below all that, a text from an unknown number.

blocked: You didn't take my number so I had to find yours. Dating you is a lot of work.

Light climbed down the stairs, a smile growing on his face. _Dating him,_ when had Light managed to start dating Ryuuzaki Rue in the middle of all of this chaos? He couldn't pinpoint an exact moment things changed, but the fact that the brunet had gotten himself a person who texted him from a blocked number without indication of who he was only a day after Light's creepy obsessive friend had been put behind bars for multiple counts of murder…

Light Yagami: Who says I wasn't planning on finding yours? Detectives don't have a monopoly on detective work, you know.

The response was so immediate that Light had to stifle a laugh.

blocked: You won't find my number anywhere, Raito-kun. I'm the partner of the greatest detective in the world. Which, unfortunately, I'm sure you haven't forgotten.

Light Yagami: No, I haven't forgotten. Far from it.

Light's fingers pattered on the keypad as he sauntered into the kitchen, yanking open the cupboard for a bag of chips to eat for breakfast.

Light Yagami: Hey, Ryuuzaki, can I ask you a question?

blocked: You may.

Light Yagami: You're not just his partner, are you?

A small pause. Light ripped the bag open and picked out a nice, well-salted chip as Ryuuzaki typed.

blocked: I advise against this line of conversation.

Light Yagami: But there's something fishy about this.

Light Yagami: L was sitting on his evidence against Misa for awhile now, since Hishida's murder was two weeks ago. He wanted to find out the method of killing, didn't he? But literally a day after you found out she was targeting me…

Light Yagami: You and L are close, aren't you?

Light Yagami: Maybe you're his student.

Light Yagami: Family?

Light Yagami: Brother?

Light Yagami: …

Light Yagami: Is Nate River L?

Ryuuzaki's response was instantaneous.

blocked: WE WILL DISCUSS THIS IN PERSON. DELETE THESE MESSAGES. DO NOT ALLOW ANY RECORD OF THIS CONVERSATION TO EXIST ELSE THERE WILL BE CONSEQUENCES.

Light Yagami: …

Light Yagami: Does that mean I'm right?

There was no response. Light snorted amusedly, erasing his messages. No point aggravating the world's greatest detective. It would be counter-productive to make enemies before he even entered the field.

But making Ryuuzaki mad was too much fun to just give up. Maybe he should just tone it down a little, not bring up his Superhuman Conspiracy Theory until the third date.

He heard someone clear his throat distinctly behind him, and Light was suddenly brought back to the real world, where he was crunching down on a bag of potato chips at the kitchen counter while laughing at his phone. Light's face turned red, of _course_ he had to stumble upon his father now of all times.

Slowly, he turned around with a polite smile. "Good morning, Otou-san-" He cut himself off, staring at the third occupant of the kitchen.

"Good morning, Raito." His father greeted him with an almost devious glint in his eye. "Yamamoto-kun was only dropping by, telling me about a certain amount of money you offered him last evening. Understandably, he cannot accept such gifts without reason."

The bespectacled boy with the chin-length black hair under a red hat gave him a sheepish grin, his hands tucked into his armpits. Light gaped, speechless.

"I think we need to have a serious talk, my son."

Yamamoto wilted under the heat of Light's glare.

.

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A/N: Haha, texting fics are the most entertaining things XD Review and comment please!


	19. Yamamoto

Chapter 19: Yamamoto

"I paid you with my own damn money! The least you could have done was give it back to _me!"_

L was watching from the street corner, skulking in the shadows as his object of interest loped along, his fury hanging over him like a cloud of smoke as another pudgier boy his age followed closely with a despondent expression.

"Listen, Yagami-kun, I did try to call you-"

The brunet whipped around and stuck his finger in front of the other boy's face. "No, _you_ listen, Yamamoto Asahi. We are not friends. We will never be friends ever again. I don't associate with _traitors_. So if you get the fuck out of my face, I will greatly appreciate it." With that, he spun around on his heel and marched along on his way to college.

L nibbled his thumbnail, greatly amused. So _this_ was the end result of whatever drama had happened in Raito's room last afternoon. L had gone to check on him, spurred by those insolent messages that had him seizing with panic (and humming with excitement, it was so thrilling watching Light piece it all together). He'd clambered up to his window because he knew Soichiro Yagami was home and would probably not encourage Ryuuzaki dropping in so often, what with his association with L and everything.

But when he'd gotten there, Chief Yagami had been busy invading Light's privacy, looking through his computer and shouting at him to admit how long he had kept his knowledge of his stalker a secret.

What L had found funniest about the whole scenario was Light himself. The brunet had stood at the doorway glaring viciously, his arms crossed in front of his chest as he leaned against the wall. It was all too obvious Light had prepared for this. Perhaps if he'd tried a little harder to disguise his true feelings Soichiro would have gone easy on him.

As far as he'd been able to hear, the fallout of that ordeal was that Light wasn't allowed internet access for a month as punishment for not saying anything about his stalker. The detective had snuck away at that point, he'd been bound to get caught if he'd stayed under the windowpane any longer.

Having failed in making contact with Light that evening, L had postponed his plans to meet to the teenager on his way to college on Monday, but it turned out that there were several clauses to his punishment, including the addition of a certain spy by the name of Yamamoto to his daily schedule, tracking his every movement.

This whole thing was so laughable. Soichiro Yagami wasn't going to make any progress limiting Light's movements this way, obviously, but it did succeed in pissing him off.

The pathetic Yamamoto waddled as fast as he could to keep up with Light's long strides. "Yagami-kun, I only did it out of concern for you. I'm practically your older brother, you know, since our families are such good friends. It is my job to look out for you."

The brunet didn't even turn around. "If I ever found out I was related to you, Asahi-kun, I would take the first chance I got to kill myself. Painfully."

The bespectacled boy's mouth dropped open. "Yagami-kun!"

"I told you to fuck off, Yamamoto. I can't be much plainer than that."

L almost felt sorry for the older boy.

"Yagami-kun, it isn't safe for you to be alone right now. Your father is right, you _are_ too secretive. You've been this way ever since we were kids. You need to accept our help! You can't deal with the world on your own, look what happens!"

"Are you saying this is my fault?" Light hissed, curling his lip. "If you truly thought that, you wouldn't have taken my money in the first place, you spineless, two-faced bastard! What did my father do, talk to your parents? Can't you fucking stand up for yourself?" He shook his head. "No, obviously not."

"Yagami-kun!" Yamamoto's pallor turned sickly pale. "Don't use such language!"

Light groaned loudly. "This is bullshit. I may have to deal with you for the rest of the week, but I am damn well not going to listen to you whining the whole time." He pulled out his phone and stuck his earphones in his ears, scrolling down until he found satisfactory music. "Don't fucking talk to me." He walked faster, keeping his eyes trained front, leaving his companion panting in his wake.

Obstacle or not, L really did feel sorry for the poor Yamamoto now. He seemed well-meaning enough, if a little overenthusiastic about committing to Light's punishment (what was the deal with that? Didn't he have better things to do?).

They were nearly at the subway at this point, and L wondered if he would have to have his first experience in a train just because of Light Yagami and his insufferable bodyguard. Near was waiting nearby for him with his newly fixed car, L had been planning on giving Light a ride. _Damn you, Yamamoto_. If that whelp attempted to interfere in his love life…

There was a sudden burst of music coming from very nearby him. _Ryuga Hideki_ , he recognised this beat, Matt had been playing it in his bedroom for the past two months as a signal to the rest of them that he and Mello were going to be having sex.

His first thought was that Light's earphones weren't plugged in, which would have given him great blackmail material, but no, the brunet walked along cool as a cucumber and the music didn't go with him.

Yamamoto wasn't likely to be blasting it, he was busy having some sort of emotional breakdown. But who else could be expected to like Ryuga Hideki?

(Misa Amane? L looked over his shoulder just to be sure, chuckling nervously to himself. No, Misa wasn't getting out of that prison for a long time, he'd made sure of that himself).

Yamamoto's head suddenly jerked up, swivelling in L's direction. His hazel eyes nearly popped out of his skull. _"Yagami-kuuun!_ Yagami-kun, there's a _stalker in the alley!"_ He scurried to Light's lithe form and pounced on top of him, shoving him behind himself.

It struck the detective then, and he dug his hand into his pocket, pulling out his phone. Fucking Mello or Matt had given his phone an actual ringtone for the first time as some sort of retarded prank. He flipped his phone open, partly because it was Near calling and partly to stop that obnoxious noise.

"Don't you take pictures of him! Stay away! I made a _promise to his family!"_ Light's friend ran at L, throwing a weak punch at his cheekbone as he made a grab for his phone. "Erase those pictures! I won't let you follow him around ever again!"

"Yamamoto, what the fuck are you doing?" Light's puzzled voice came from the road major as his friend grappled with the stone-like man in the alleyway. The brunet sauntered over, pulling his earphones out of his ears. When their eyes met, black on honey-brown, Light sighed. "Is this how you plan to deal with stalkers? Alert them as loudly as possible and then do _this?"_

"He was trying to take pictures of you! He was eyeing you like a piece of meat, Yagami-kun! I won't have it!"

Light rolled his eyes, sticking his earphones back in. "Don't eye me like a piece of meat, Ryuuzaki."

L wrenched his phone from Yamamoto's grip with an easy flick of his wrist and jogged to catch up with his boyfriend, grinning toothily. "I wasn't, Raito-kun." He flipped the phone open again, checking for messages from Near (none, which meant he would call again from a different number).

"You _know_ your stalker? What is this, Yagami-kun? I expected better of you! I will inform your father!" Yamamoto yelled as he marched out of the alleyway with flushed cheeks.

"Go ahead." Light muttered under his breath, keeping his eyes trained on the screen of his phone. "It's not like it matters, how can this get any worse?"

Ryuuzaki grinned cheekily. "Looks like you're in a sunny mood."

"Yeah, because you're hiding in alleyways acting like a creep when you _know_ I'm under constant guard and curfew." Light glared at him out the corner of his eye. "I know that you know, Ryuuzaki. I saw you outside my window."

 _"Yagami-kun!"_ Yamamoto stammered. "Yagami-kun, I will report this!"

"I said go the fuck ahead, didn't I? Report everything to my father like the snitch you are, Yamamoto! I don't expect any better from you!"

L placed a hand on Light's chest. "Cool off, Raito-kun." He yanked the earphones from the teenager's ears. "And keep these off, I want to speak with you." The detective then turned to his stunned friend, sticking out a pale hand politely, trying (and failing) not to use his usual monotone. "I am Ryuuzaki Rue, Yagami Raito's boyfriend as of approximately two days ago. Pleased to meet you."

Yamamoto's eyes bugged out of his skull. "Y-Yagami-kun…you're gay?"

Light scowled in L's direction. "You know what? Fuck you both." He quickened his pace, leaving the two of them behind, a vein popping in his forehead.

Ryuuzaki bit into his thumbnail, contemplative. "Is homosexuality frowned upon here?" He addressed the pudgy boy, who looked faint.

"W-well, I don't know…I just didn't realise Y-Yagami-kun could be that way, he's always so perfect…"

Ryuuzaki smiled, watching Light in front of them as he walked. "He seems that way, doesn't he? But no, he's definitely not perfect. I wouldn't hold this against him, though."

Yamamoto blinked, staring at Light's quickly receding form as the brunet took the stairs two at a time to enter the subway station. "I-I should make my call to Yagami-san now, before I lose signal. P-please go on ahead, don't leave him alone. I p-promised his father."

"Of course. But one thing you should keep in mind, Yamamoto-kun." The detective leaned in close, leering at the boy. "Do not reveal his relationship with me to his father. This is a warning. I will end your life if you try to come between me and Raito, mark my words."

The human gaped, and L gave him a friendly smile. "Have a nice day." He turned on his heel and slouched on to catch up with his boyfriend. L needed to reassure him about the problem of Yamamoto-kun. The detective wasn't going to let something stupid like snitches, jealous models and homophobic fathers come between them, not when things were going so well.

The subway was highly crowded. The detective ploughed through masses of people, looking for the distinctive head of auburn hair bobbing along, but before he could find him his phone began to buzz loudly in his pocket. L withdrew it and answered. "Yes?"

Near's voice was a deep, gravelly monotone that could have been intimidating if L didn't know that he himself was the source of its inspiration.

 _"He knows my identity?"_

.

.

A/N: I may have forgotten to update all week XD review and comment please!


	20. Consequences

Chapter 20: Consequences

"Yeah, so I'm going to drop him off now, Yagami-san. Would you like to speak with him or something? He's…uh…not going to wait for your answer, so-"

Soichiro ran his fingers through his hair, letting the cup of coffee he held in his hands warm him up. He wished above all else that he had sent Matsuda to track his son rather than Yamamoto, but with how offended the boy got at the merest suggestion of a person following him around, Soichiro knew the meltdown would have been a hundred times worse if it was a police officer.

And in a way, the teenager had it right. Misa Amane would not be stopped by Matsuda any more than Yamamoto. According to L she couldn't even be stopped by bullets. Their only hope was keeping her in the tiny basement torture-chamber of L's design, and they needed Matsuda to help secure it.

"-and it's too late, he's gone." Yamamoto's warbling voice shook as he attempted to laugh. "He isn't very pleased with me."

Soichiro chewed the inside of his cheek. "No, I suppose not. Thank you for doing this. I will be sure to ask Sachiko to send your family an apple pie."

He knew that would make the boy perk up. "Yay! Apple pie! Thank you, Yagami-san, you made my day!"

"No problem, Asahi-kun." The chief sipped his coffee. "Call me next in the evening, when you both are returning. I'll have your pay ready. I have to go now-"

"Wait, Yagami-san." Yamamoto hesitated. "Are you sure that Ryuuzaki fellow is safe?"

Soichiro grimaced, blowing at his scalding drink. "Yes, I'm quite sure he is safe, Asahi-kun. They have been friends for some time now. Why?"

"Well…" Asahi hushed his voice. "Because he's…um."

"Spit it out, Asahi-kun."

Yamamoto gulped. "Well, that guy just keeps…clinging onto him. And, um…"

Clinging? "What is that supposed to mean?"

The boy let out a sharp breath. "Oh, nothing. Just…he was staring…as I told you before…it's nothing. Just forget it. I didn't mean to say it aloud."

Oh, you meant to say it, alright. Soichiro frowned, gulping down his coffee in one shot. L's spy Hideki Ryuga was touching his son? His son was allowing him to touch him?

That, combined with the fact that he had comforted Light after Misa's arrest and they had gone off to some unknown place together (and Raito had said his alias in his sleep…).

"I-I'll go now, Yagami-san. Don't worry about it, it's probably nothing serious." Probably.

Soichiro flipped his phone closed, contemplative, as alarm bells began to ring throughout the premises.

…

"Raito-kun, this is serious. I need to speak with you in private." The detective growled in frustration as Light stuck his earphones back into his ears for the third time today. "This is not a joke, Raito-kun!"

Light blasted the music in his ears louder than he could hear, needing to drown it all out. Everything was going to shit. Yamamoto was going to report all of this to his father, his life was going to become hell. Forget curfews and spies, if his father ever caught a whiff of the fact that he was bisexual…

The earphones flew out of his ears and Ryuuzaki yanked him forward. "Listen to me, you insufferable teenager!" The pale man clutched his upper arms, stopping him in his tracks. "Private. Alone. Somewhere nobody can hear us. Now."

Light glanced down at his watch. Fucking hell, he was going to be late. On top of everything else, Ryuuzaki was going to make him late. "I am aware of what private means, Ryuuzaki. We can talk later. When I'm not going to class. Just because you don't have to care about any of this doesn't mean I don't."

He shoved the detective off of him and strode off down the corridors. The halls were mostly deserted, everyone was in class. If Ryuuzaki ruined his perfect attendance…

"Raito, you know what this is about!" The black-haired man scurried up to him, latching onto his sleeve. "Why are you acting like such a spoilt child?"

They passed a couple of Light's friends on the way, so the brunet plastered his fake-smile on with a vengeance, nodding politely as they crossed paths. "Fucking hell. If this is about that text, I'm sorry, but it's not like I texted just about anyone about it. And it's all speculation anyway, I have no proof. Why is this even a problem? Am I not allowed free speech anymore?"

"I don't know how many times I can impress upon you the importance of secrecy."

Light yanked his arm from the older man. "I'm not threatening your secrecy! I texted you."

"One leaked text is all it takes, Raito."

The brunet groaned. "Oh my god, Ryuuzaki, I am a nineteen year old college student making theories about a detective I idolise. Nobody would take me seriously."

"But Raito-"

Light spun around, bringing his face too close to his. "I have better things to do, Ryuuzaki. Why are you even bothering me right now? Don't you have some detective shit to be doing?"

Within the blink of an eye, he was smashed back against the wall, an ice-cold hand holding him by the throat. Ryuuzaki's snarling face took up most of his field of vision, dark eyes smouldering in his pale face. The fingers tightened around his neck, keeping him pinned flat against the bricks. "Yagami Raito, you will take me seriously."

Light gasped pathetically for air. God, his grip was tight. "Fuck...off, Ryuuzaki. I haven't done…anything wrong."

In response, the detective dug his cold steel fingers into the skin of Light's throat. "I am looking out for you. I am protecting you. In return, you will listen to what I have to say."

Light winced, tugging at Ryuuzaki's hands as he struggled to take a breath. "Let me…let me go, you fucking bastard. Let go!"

"We will go to the parking lot, it's bound to be deserted and relatively secluded at this time. We need to talk."

Light squirmed. "I'm not going…anywhere with you."

"You don't have a choice-" Ryuuzaki was interrupted by a flash of movement and a hand zipped into view, grabbing the detective by the neckline.

"Get away from him!" A male voice shrieked as the firm hand attempted to wrench Ryuuzaki away from the brunet pressed to the wall. Light looked past the detective to see a tall, bespectacled man with mid-length raven hair glaring at the older man with a discreetly psychotic light in his black eyes. "Who do you think you are? Unhand Yagami-san this instant!"

"Ryuuzaki Rue, we know who you are. Get away from him before we file a complaint against you to the police." A balanced voice came from beside the man, a prim, proper young woman with righteous expression under her black bob, holding a thick law textbook in her hands.

Ryuuzaki blinked, as if seeing the situation for the first time. He released Light, who relaxed against the wall, probing his neck hesitantly.

"I…I didn't realise…" Ryuuzaki gulped, his eyes wide and dark as midnight. "Raito-kun, did I…?"

Light shook his head, squeezing his eyes shut to gather himself. Of course they had to have a fucking audience for this, didn't they? "I'm not hurt, no." He raised his head, narrowing his eyes menacingly as he pushed off the wall and glared down at Ryuuzaki's slouched form. "But if you touch me again, Ryuuzaki, you'll regret it."

"N-no, Raito-kun…"

The bespectacled man he recognised to be his senior, Mikami Teru, grabbed Light's wrist and yanked him behind him. He fluidly pulled on a pair of clear, paper-thin gloves as he braced himself in an offensive stance. "Why don't you pick on someone your own size, eh? Enough first years and petite models, fight someone who can actually fight back!"

Light rubbed his wrist, feeling his face heat up in embarrassment (was he being equated to Misa?). "Mikami-senpai, it's fine, just leave him."

The girl he realised with a flash was his ex-girlfriend (if you could call her that, their fledgling relationship had been two weeks old) Takada Kiyomi put a hand on his shoulder, smiling coolly. "It's okay, Yagami-san, we'll take care of this. Mikami and I have been working together to get rid of troublemakers on and off campus, we'll make sure he never does this to anyone else again."

Light frowned. "What does that mean?"

Her smile grew more patronising, which reminded him of exactly why he broke up with her (besides the fact that she was more boring than a puddle of melted ice-cream). "Nothing you need to worry about. Go on to class." She leaned in close, her breath minty, and gave him an appreciative nod. "I think it was really brave of you to face him down, Yagami-san. Misa-chan had told us everything. It was admirable, what you did for her."

"I don't understand." Light shrugged her hand off. "What did Misa say I did?"

"Saved her from sexual assault, of course. At Misa-chan's party?" Takada fluttered her long eyelashes. "She said you leaped in front of Ryuuzaki Rue to stop him from groping her but he beat you up instead."

There was a shrill cry from where Mikami had been challenging Ryuuzaki.

Light's head whipped to the side, his heart beating too loud in his ears. "Wait, Ryuuzaki, don't-"

The teenager stopped dead. He didn't quite understand what he was seeing. Unlike what he had expected, it wasn't Ryuuzaki smacking Mikami to the ground, it wasn't Ryuuzaki pinning Mikami down, it wasn't Ryuuzaki punching the senior across the face and laughing.

Panic replaced his dread, and Light ran to the two men grappling on the floor, evenly matched as they hissed angrily at each other.

Evenly matched? But Mikami's hands hadn't been cold, he had never been pale or particularly strong, he wasn't what Misa and Ryuuzaki were…

Ryuuzaki made a choking noise as Mikami took hold of the bare skin of his neck, pressing the flats of his wrists into it.

"Stop it! Don't hurt him!" Light cried out, trying to pull Mikami off of the detective and failing miserably. He spotted Ryuuzaki writhing under the senior and the pain was actually showing on that usually impassive pale face. "Mikami-senpai, that's enough, he's learnt his lesson!"

"That's very considerate of you, Yagami-san, but let Mikami handle it. You know Ryuuzaki isn't one of us, don't you?" Takada tugged him back by the shoulder, but Light wrenched out of her grasp when Ryuuzaki let out another pitiful whine.

"Get off of him, Mikami!" Light threw himself at the older man, knocking him off of Ryuuzaki's prone body. "There's no call for that! Stop hurting him!" He used the brunt of his tennis-player upper body strength to hold Mikami down as Ryuuzaki choked and retched behind them. Light looked at him over his shoulder and bit back a gasp. The skin of the pale man's neck had blackened, flaking away as the detective ran his fingers over it.

The brunet shoved off of Mikami, loping over to the detective and wrapping his arms around him protectively as he shot the senior a dark look. "What did you do to him?"

Takada looked immensely confused. "Yagami-san, do you not know he is abnormal? I would have figured you were smart enough to realise that by now."

"Of course I know he's not normal." Light bit out. "What did you do to him?"

Mikami got to his feet, dusting off his clothes almost casually, but his eyes held murder. "Step away from him, Yagami. He is dangerous."

"I asked you a question!" He snapped.

Takada sighed. "Yagami-san, you obviously don't realise-"

"Raito-kun." A gravelly voice came from behind the brunet. Light felt a stab of worry as the black-haired man lifted his head. "I'm sorry."

"Forget that now, Ryuuzaki, don't speak. Your throat…"

A cold hand ran down Light's back. "I always hurt you. Never want to, Raito-kun. Mistake."

"I get it, now shut up-"

"Come with me?"

Light raised his eyebrows. "What?"

Ryuuzaki coughed. "Can't speak. Escape. Come with me?"

"Oh, you're not escaping anywhere." Mikami scrambled to his feet and lifted his gloved hands. "Get the fuck out of the way, Yagami." He marched up to them and kicked Light hard in the side, hitting one of his healing bruises and sending a skewer of pain rushing through him. Undaunted, the brunet only tightened his hold on the pale man, letting out a pained wheeze.

Ryuuzaki suddenly stood straight up, dislodging his partner from his hold. "Don't make me bite you, Mikami Teru."

"Oh, just try, parasite. You won't even get close." Mikami sneered, getting ready in his fighting stance, elbows bent and knees braced.

Light struggled to stand, clutching his side, and Ryuuzaki darted him a meaningful glance, eyebrows raised.

The brunet closed his eyes as if warding off a headache. "Fucking fine." Light covered his eyes with his hand, sighing. "I'll get out of the way, then, Mikami-senpai."

"Good." The bespectacled man said, keeping his eyes fixed on the detective. "That was the right decision."

"Yes, it was." Light muttered, sauntering over as casually as he could behind the other man until he turned quickly on his heel and put all of his weight into his fist, socking him at the base of the skull and sending him crashing down to his knees. Ryuuzaki took the opportunity to draw his leg up and strike the senior smoothly in the stomach and in the blink of an eye, Mikami was on the other side of the hallway, moaning in agony.

Light grinned. "Wow, that was-" Suddenly, his feet left the ground, dangling helplessly in the air. He blinked, realising he had been picked up and thrown over the Ryuuzaki's shoulder like a sack of potatoes. "Ryuuzaki?"

"Hold on, Raito-kun." The detective rasped as their surroundings disappeared around them.

.

A/N: Sorry it's been awhile since an update, I've been having exams :( review and comment please!


	21. Anything

Chapter 21: Anything

Safety. He had to get to safety.

L ran like never before, his feet smacking the ground so forcefully he was probably leaving cracks in the pavement. That wasn't good, they could use whatever he left behind to track him down. The vampire tightened his arm around his human's waist as he carried him on his shoulder.

He tried to croak out some sort of warning to his passenger, something to tell him to brace himself, but his vocal cords strained against nothing and let out a dry cough instead as he leapt up to the walls and then the rooftops of the houses they passed.

He pictured a map in his head, the map of safe-houses around the city. They had planned this out, just in case they somehow triggered the Volturi or their counterparts, but it had always been Mello they were preparing for. They had never in their wildest dreams thought L could trigger them, it was practically impossible.

 _Misa Amane_. Oh, that woman was going to die. That pathetic excuse for a vampire, she was going to burn, sizzle on a stake, disintegrate into ashes. L would personally oversee it, he would probably laugh to drown out her screams.

L felt his legs buckle as his head turned fuzzy. _No, only a few more metres…_

"Ryuuzaki!" He heard Light yell over the wind whistling in his ear. The vampire stumbled over his feet, picking up speed so that his collapse would happen within the safe-house. They had to get to the safe-house…

The minute he burst into the closet-sized room under the bridge, he keeled over, his human slipping from his shoulder and tumbling down to the floor.

The world was blurring. He panted, trying to ignore the burning agony at his neck. He swallowed, but there was no saliva left in his mouth. There was barely any blood left in his system, he was done, he was a rotting corpse.

Ninety-five years of existence, ninety-five years on Earth and he had to die now?

He felt hot fingers slip under him and pull him into the room, setting him down on the floor and running frantically over him. "Ryuuzaki! Ryuuzaki, say something, please, I don't know what to do! I…what did he do to you?"

Light Yagami's face sharpened into view, his amber eyes brighter than ever as he leaned in, his brows furrowed. "I'll…I'll clean the wound…"

He tried to lift his hand and point at the single rusted strongbox in the corner of the squat room, but he knew he didn't have to. A few seconds later, there was a soft, damp cloth running over the jagged ends of his gash, feeling ice-cold against his burnt skin as it wiped away the ash. It had been a while since anything felt remotely cold to him.

"R-Ryuuzaki, t-the injury…" His human gulped. "I'll call 119."

L grabbed the teenager's wrist as he made to draw the cellphone from the pocket of his trousers. "No, Raito-kun. Useless." He managed a shaky smile. "Not human."

"Then what do I do? Who do I call? L? Your brothers?"

L shuttered his eyes, his hand making its way to his pocket. "Watari." He yanked out his cellphone and dropped it by his side. The brunet's warm hand brushed his as it picked it up. "He's contact number 12. Tell him we're in safe-house 4."

He watched blearily as his human scrolled down and called the number, those caramel eyes watching him with near-tangible concern as he waited. His face lit up when L's assistant picked up.

"Watari?" The teenager breathed. "Ryuuzaki's hurt. He's..." He paused a second, waiting for the old man to finish his sentence. "He's…somebody tried to assault him in college, and now the skin of his neck is black and crumbling and it smells like ash. He's got an open wound at his neck, it's not bleeding. It's just…flesh. I can patch that up, but he needs medical attention."

L let the words wash over him, no longer strong enough to grasp their meaning. He enjoyed listening to Light's voice, the brunet had been blessed with a strong, silky timbre that sounded calm and collected no matter what he felt.

 _"Blood?_ Where am I supposed to get blood from? Hello?" The brunet stared at the phone, then turned his wide eyes to L. His expression instantly turned resolute and he scrambled to the strongbox, rummaging through its contents.

"Fuck it. Listen, Ryuuzaki." The teenager turned back to him, his jaw set determinedly. "I'll take you to the hospital. Watari said safe-house 4 is too far away for him to get here on time, so I need to get you blood. An ambulance will take too much time in this traffic. I know there's a hospital five minutes away from here, so I'll need to pick you up, okay? Help me out, hold onto me."

L felt a hoarse laugh erupt from him, whistling out of his damaged oesophagus. His frame shook, his eyes squeezing shut as he giggled.

Light's alarmed eyes filled his gaze. "Are you in pain?" The brunet hefted him up in his arms but, predictably, wasn't able to pick him up off the ground. "Fuck, fuck, fuck. I'll call 119, I can't carry you."

"Raito-kun." The vampire wheezed, still giggling hoarsely. "He doesn't mean a transfusion."

"Then what? Is it code for something?"

"No, no, Raito-kun…" He laughed helplessly, feeling his lungs start to give out. "T-there's nothing you can do for me. Just…can I see your face?"

Light's face came into view, looming over him with that deer-in-the-headlights look, his auburn hair tousled and falling into his eyes. L twisted his lips into what he hoped was a grin. "Smile, Raito-kun? You have a nice smile."

The brunet scowled at him instead, which L found to be just as nice. "What the fuck are you doing? Stop acting like you're dying, tell me what I can do."

"Nothing, Raito-kun. I'm beyond help. If Watari can't get here on time…"

"But what did he mean by blood, Ryuuzaki? What am I supposed to do for you? Why can't I do it? Don't fucking give up, I can still help you!" The teenager gripped L by the front of his smudged sweatshirt. "Please, Ryuuzaki, you're not going to die!"

"Raito-kun…"

Light leaned in close, his breath hot on L's face. "Ryuuzaki, please don't die. Tell me what I can do, please. I can't lose you."

L smiled, letting the words burrow into his brain. _This was a good way to go._ "You barely know me, Raito-kun."

"That's not true!" Light yelled, his face turning pink. "You know that's not true, we're friends! We've been friends for months! We're…we're…I love you, Ryuuzaki. I love you _, I love you,_ don't you dare die. Tell me how I can get you blood, I'll do anything!"

L felt tears prick at his eyes. "When did this happen?"

Light groaned in frustration. "That's not what's important right now!"

"Y-yes it is. Rot's spreading. Won't have strength to speak. I…want to hear it."

"Ryuuzaki…" The teenager sounded close to tears himself.

L let out a muffled whine as he felt his heart beat once erratically and grow completely still. All the blood in his body was depleted as his venom struggled to heal him. He didn't have a medium for it to move with anymore, at this point it was only a matter of time.

"R-Ryuuzaki, please don't." He heard Light bite back a sob. "P-please don't, I don't know what to do…I want to help you, please, God…"

L mustered up the strength to keep talking. His vision greyed, he couldn't see Light's auburn hair, his steady caramel eyes, his soft pink lips. "I-if I let you help, you won't…love me anymore."

The brunet snapped alert. "I can help? Tell me how, I'll do it."

L licked his lips with his sandpaper-dry tongue. "T-the blood that I need…it's your blood."

"I figured." Light said, and L did a double take before he heard the human's next words. "I looked for a way to transfuse my blood into you, but your strongbox doesn't have any equipment."

L let out a shallow, breathless laugh. "N-no, Raito-kun. I…need to drink your blood."

The teenager paused. "You need to…drink my blood? Like, I should slit my wrist or something?"

L's laugh turned into a sort of sob sticking in his throat. "A-are you sure about this?"

Light took a deep breath. "Yeah, I think I saw a knife in there somewhere, just give me a second."

"No need for that, Raito-kun." L squeezed his eyes shut. "Bring your neck close to me."

"My…neck?"

"Yes, Raito-kun." L hated that there were tears pooling in his eyes. How was it that forty percent of all his body fluids were gone, but those still existed? "Bring your neck close to my mouth."

"Okay…" The human leaned close to L, his sugary-sweet scent strong, the curve of a tan neck only inches from his lips. "What should I do?"

"You wait." L kept his eyes shut as his fangs jutted out, cutting the edges of his lips as they poked out of his mouth. "This will hurt."

L opened his mouth and sank his teeth into the brunet's warm skin.

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A/N: The moment you have all been waiting for! (I know I have) poor Light :( review and comment please! Give me some support! :D


	22. Bloodlust

Chapter 22: Bloodlust

The first thing L tasted was the hot, sweet blood gushing down his throat. A miniature fountain that coated his mouth like chocolate syrup tasting sweet and metallic, more heavenly than any blood pack or animal could hope to become.

The second thing he felt was Light's nails digging into him. His ears prickled awake, picking up on the unearthly sounds coming from the teenager, a tortured guttural wail, his voice breaking halfway through as the howl reverberated through them both and continuing ragged and distorted. In his daze, he somehow located where Light's mouth was and covered it firmly with the flat of his palm.

It was bearable now, and L focussed on drawing out all the blood he could from the boy's neck, soaking in his scent as fear sharpened it. Powdered sugar and the bakery nearby Whammy's, warm and sweet. The searing pain at his throat was gone now, transformed into a light twinge that smoothened down with the velvety blood.

He sank his teeth deeper into his soft human skin and relished in the spurts that erupted with every movement. Under his hand, Light let out a wavering cry and sobbed.

L closed his eyes, ready for the endorphins to kick in. These endorphins were the main reason vampires broke so often despite the threat of destruction by the Volturi. External drugs didn't work on vampires, it was only the endorphins released with the drinking of blood that was capable of intoxicating them.

The vampire shivered as he felt the high sweep him off his feet, zipping through the skies, all of his limbs lighter, his mind devoid of thoughts, feelings, anything that kept him tied to Earth. He could have been dead for all he knew and it was exhilarating. He was ninety and twenty-five, he was human and vampire, he was holding his Raito-kun in his arms and sucking out his blood, forming a bond with him, becoming his forever.

Had he planned this from the beginning? Was this the reason he had taken Light with him from the college when he was escaping? After all, the brunet had been in no danger.

 _Was it worth it?_

L blinked awake.

The high disappeared as suddenly as it came. He was definitely alive, he could feel the roughness of the concrete floor against his scuffed knees, the mustiness of the air in the room. L swallowed and realised that his mouth wasn't dry anymore. Blood was pumping through his veins, he was alive again.

Slowly, his brain started to work. His fangs retracted, and L realised he wasn't lying on the floor, he was squatting in his usual posture on the balls of his feet, knees drawn up. Light was splayed on his lap. L's lips were still planted on the brunet's bleeding neck and his hand was still clamped over his mouth.

L quickly released the teenager, who drooped limply against him. The detective's heart thumped rapidly, all that new blood flowing vigorously through him.

"Raito-kun?" He shook the Light's shoulder gently, but the boy didn't move. His lover was picturesque in that moment, beautiful with his tan-ivory skin, his white lips, his eyes closed with those long eyelashes nearly brushing his cheeks. His auburn hair fell silkily over his forehead, but no hand rose to flick it out of the way, no eyes blinked and peered curiously at him, no mouth moved to ask how he was doing.

For a moment, L could pretend that the teenager who had said he loved him was just sleeping, perhaps in class, and L could just reach over and run his fingers through his hair, savouring their closeness, brimming with emotion he had never felt for anybody else.

L could barely hear his own whisper as he cupped the teenager's slack face in his hands. "Raito-kun? Raito-kun, wake up." He hadn't taken that much blood. He hadn't killed him. L knew he hadn't killed him, he could never, he wasn't capable of it. _He would rather die._

The wound at the boy's neck was still bleeding in spurts, the blood running in streaks down his neck and staining his powder blue button-down a bright scarlet. His hands trembling ever so slightly, the detective laid his human flat on the floor and rushed to get something to work with from the strongbox.

Watari had prepared the safe-house so that it contained all the supplies any of them needed to lay low for a few days, apart from food and blood which couldn't be stored long-term. Those, the vampires were expected to scavenge for. Luckily, a first aid kit was not perishable, so L was able to yank it out, letting supplies clatter out as he did. He dropped it hurriedly beside his Raito.

He wiped the blood off of his neck, following each step of the drills Watari had taught him so many years ago, at an English orphanage known as Whammy's House where he had learnt everything he had ever known. Wipe, clean, disinfect, press, wrap, seal.

L cut and tied off the bandage, peering worriedly at Light's face. "Raito-kun?" _God, please_. He grabbed the teenager's wrist and pressed his thumb firmly into the curve of it. Despite the fact that the human still had a scent, despite the fact that the vampire knew he was alive, L felt a pulse and breathed a sigh of relief. _He wasn't dead, he wasn't dead, he wasn't dead._

"What have you done, L?" A dead, monotone voice greeted him, its tone completely inappropriate for the context.

 _That wasn't Watari._

L whipped his head up to set eyes on a pale-haired young man in snowy white pyjamas trotting over and kneeling beside the teenager in his arms. The new arrival leaned in close to the boy and sniffed. "Yep, he's alive. Out cold, though. Shall I carry him? You may still have traces of bloodlust left."

L nodded as the white-haired vampire hefted Light up in his arms. "Where is Watari?"

Near sighed as he walked out of the safe-house. "You always told me to put Watari in charge of the bigger problem."

L furrowed his brow. "There is a bigger problem than me dying?"

His first successor's laugh was quiet and abrupt. "A more pressing problem, then. Misa Amane attempted escape."

"What?" L stopped in his tracks. Near let out an exasperated breath as he jiggled the door of his fancy vintage open and placed Light inside.

"It's okay, Watari's handling it. Apparently, Mello had an attack of conscience when he saw how I was having her restrained and tried to free her. We locked him in our other cell, just in case."

"That coward." L curled his hands into fists. "I'll fucking murder that bastard-!"

"No, you won't. Take care of your mate. Hook him up to the blood bags inside. Don't act rashly, L, there's no call for it yet."

L glanced at the pale boy lying unmoving on the car seat. Without another word, he slipped into the car, pulling the door shut behind him.

Satisfied, Near sat himself on the front seat and started the car.

"We'll deal with them, L. Nobody's a match for the world's greatest detectives."

L didn't reply, busy finding the vein in Light's arm and sticking in the needle leading to the pack labelled A.

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A/N: I'm an idiot, I uploaded this chapter onto Doc Manager and forgot to upload it onto the story itself! Thanks for the review that made me wonder why it isn't there XD anyway, review and comment if you liked the chapter XD


	23. Vampire

The wind whipped past him as he rode his carriage down the scraggly, winding road leading up the desolate mountain to the place the clouds gathered in thick, mighty fury, their blackness only overshadowed by the darkness of the castle they were trying to shroud.

His coachman, a villager from the nearby town with barely any experience driving a carriage in the first place, was stiffer than a board. The gentleman could have assumed him dead if he wasn't so obviously muffling his shrieks every time the carriage hit a rock or bobbled through a pothole.

"Is there a reason you are so on edge, Mr. Harker?" The gentleman's voice was barely a whisper, but still strong and smooth, a healthy amount of scepticism already infused in it. But the coachman had no such freedom. His whisper was ragged, merely a croak.

"You must have been warned, Herr. There was a reason no other coachman was willing to take you up this hill."

The gentleman smiled. "Yes, and why you cost triple what a coachman would in London. I sincerely hope there is a reason for that."

The coachman abruptly whipped the reins, stopping the horses in their tracks. The gentleman watched him with some concern as he staggered out of the front of the carriage and scrambled into the coach, taking the seat beside him.

"Sir, please accept this token." The coachman shoved an item into the gentleman's slender hands, wrapping it with his own. "For your mother's sake."

The gentleman frowned as the coachman stumbled out of the coach and back into the driver's seat, snapping the reins once more. He opened his hands to find, resting in the curve of his palm, a crucifix hanging from a beaded rosary.

It had started to rain, the thunderclouds dense around the castle, so the coachman had immediately turned on his heel after dropping the gentleman off, not even a goodbye to leave behind in the chilling air as his horses plodded away. The gentleman shrugged, taking the briefcase containing his few belongings over his shoulder and knocking firmly on the massive doors of the castle that towered over him, all steel black pikes and stone spires.

The doors caved inwards, opening to reveal a tall man with wild black hair stooping in front of him, his skin pale and his huge dark eyes shadowed by dark circles.

"Hello, Mr. Yagami." A deep English voice reverberated from within the man as he turned away and plodded back into the castle. "Leave the cross, it's not going to help you."

Light Yagami looked down at the crucifix in his hand, gripped tightly between his fingers as the door swung shut behind him, a lock thudding into place.

* * *

He had been trapped in his castle for five days now.

Five days, without a single indication of his letters reaching the outside world. Five days of shadows and darkness and the meandering hallways illuminated only with candlelight. Five days with the company of the stooping Count with the darkest eyes he had ever known, always telling him to stick to his hallways, to stay in his room, to never explore the castle for reasons unknown.

Light walked down the hallways, marking down the corners as he did so he would know how to turn to get back to his room. He traced the carvings along the banisters, the wooden ornamentation over the stone walls, noting the distinct lack of mirrors wherever he went. He was starting to forget what he looked like.

Soon enough, he came upon three brothers, each just as pale as the Count, lounging in a parlour, red, white and yellow. Each of them stood up when he entered, saluting him in mock-respect with sarcastic smiles twisting their lips. They tilted their heads up in unison, sniffing the air.

There was a piercing cry from out the window, and Light craned his neck to see two figures in the courtyard, one of them bent over the other. A familiar petite woman with long blond hair whipped her head up, hissing like a tomcat, her too-sharp teeth coated in scarlet blood as a young man writhed on the ground, begging weakly for help.

The gentleman backed away, holding his hands up. "Mercy! Mercy!" He felt the blood churn within him, and each of the monsters took a deep breath, as if savouring his scent.

"Delicious." The blond one muttered, and the other two nodded in agreement, each of them striding gracefully towards him, and slowly their smiles sharpened into view, white canines poking too far out their lips.

Cold hands caught him by the shoulders from behind, twirling him around and pressing him close. "I told you not to come in here. I told you not to ask questions, not to meddle. You never listen to me, do you, Light Yagami?"

That rich, deep English accent, why did it soothe him? This man was about to suck out his blood, eat him alive, but there was something in there, something that reassured him, calmed him. The pale, cold man placed two fingers under Light's chin and tilted his head up, pressing his cold lips against his. "I am sorry for this."

Teeth clamped into the skin of his neck, tearing through the flesh and sending jets of blood spurting across the room, and there was nothing screaming could do, nothing anybody could do except grip the crucifix in his pocket and make the conscious effort not to press it into the vampire's skin.

* * *

Light's eyes snapped open, his heart beating a thousand miles a minute. He felt a sheen of sweat over his nose and forehead, filthy and grimy, he had the itching urge to wash himself. It had been ages since he had been this dirty. He raised his arm with some effort, the line of an IV following him as he rubbed the bridge of his nose.

"Oh, fuck." He winced as the IV tugged at his forearm. A hand, cold and hard as a rock left out during a snowstorm, grabbed him by the wrist and forced it down.

"Careful now." A strange, rustic accent, as English as Ryuuzaki's but different. "Don't try to get up. You're weak from the blood loss, but it's cool. The venom will help you heal quicker. Believe me, I have a lot of experience with this."

Silken sheets enveloped him, his head rested on the softest pillow he had ever had the fortune to come across. This was definitely not a hospital by any stretch of imagination. "Hello." He murmured. "Matt, wasn't it?"

The redheaded brother of Ryuuzaki gave him a dazzlingly white smile under large round yellow-tinted goggles. "In the flesh. Are you alright? If you're going to be sick, tell me. Or gesture or something."

Light shook his head slightly, letting his eyes fall closed again.

"This is a lot better than converting, you know. All of this pain plus having your veins coated in venom and actually dying…not cool at all."

The teenager reached up to touch his neck, the one area of his body that was throbbing more than his head. His fingers brushed over rough cotton bandages, wrapped tightly around his neck and running down to loop around his chest and armpit.

"Don't meddle with that. L did it up pretty well, we probably shouldn't mess with it until Watari comes back."

Light let a smile twist his lips. "L came personally to bandage me?"

As expected, the redhead breathed in sharply. "Um. No, actually, that was a slip of tongue. I, um…"

The brunet chuckled. "So L really is Nate River, huh? I wasn't wrong?"

"Shut up, Yagami." The redhead bit out. "Are you seriously dense enough to say his name in public like this?"

"We're _not_ in public, asshole." Light whispered. His head had started to ache again. "We're in your house. Or Watari's house, I guess. Unless you're trying to keep this a secret from people within the house, which you're doing a really bad job of."

Matt considered that. "Well…you're still a reckless _child_. I cannot see why L trusts you." He slapped his forehead. "Ryuuzaki, I mean. L doesn't trust you, obviously."

Light laughed. "With all the slips you're making, you're giving me the impression L _is_ Ryuuzaki. I don't see Nate-san trusting me under any circumstances. Or bandaging me, for that."

Matt let out three nervous breaths. Ha ha ha. "Very funny. Oh, the idea of L being Ryuuzaki, hah."

Light propped himself carefully up on his elbows, looking around. It was a simply furnished room, with white walls and a single bed right in the middle, heavy velvet drapes covering a large window, blocking out the sunlight pouring in.

Blocking out the sunlight. _Vampire_.

The brunet reached up and touched the wound at his shoulder again, feeling a throb of pain go through him. "Where _is_ Ryuuzaki?"

Matt smirked. "Hiding."

"Hiding?"

The redhead pushed up the goggles over his eyes, giving him a scrutinising look. "Do you realise what he did to you, Yagami?"

Light shuttered his eyes, glimpsing down at his lap without moving his sore neck. He was wearing new clothes, a baggy white shirt and scuffed blue jeans that hung loosely around his hips, fastened by a belt. "I'm pretty sure, yeah."

"Then you get why he thinks he should hide."

The brunet cocked his head. "No, I don't. I mean, what could I possibly do to him? He's a supernatural being, pretty much. I'm only alive thanks to his generosity. Why would he need to hide?" He paused. "Unless what he did is against the law or something. I wouldn't know. Do regular laws even apply to you people?"

The redhead raised his eyebrows disbelievingly. Light took the time to stare at the man he had identified as a vampire, taking in the pale-as-snow skin that made his bright hair look so much darker, the stone-hard hands, the lips that were no doubt covering up a set of demonically sharp canines.

Matt sighed. "You've got to be kidding me. Do you actually not understand why he wouldn't want to show his face to you?"

Light frowned. "You say not wanting to show his face to me like he's doing it out of choice. So…he's not in trouble like Misa?"

"No, he's not. Misa's in trouble for murdering people. Ryuuzaki didn't murder you."

The brunet laughed. "Yeah, he closely missed it. Good job, Ryuuzaki." He grinned. "So then is he hidden away for any reason in particular?"

Matt squinted at him. "Yeah. He is. You just said it, he almost murdered you."

Light looked down at his IV, which appeared to be dispensing blood into him, pinching it between his forefinger and thumb. "Yeah, and as far as I can tell, he needed to. I'm not stupid, Matt, I understand what you are. I suspected you'd be some sort of superhuman beings before, vampire is just making it specific." He glanced up at Ryuuzaki's brother. "So am I in any real danger here? Do I have to run for my life?"

The man in the striped shirt shook his head. "If any of us dared to touch you, Ryuuzaki would rip us limb from limb."

"Graphic." Light noticed a shiny red apple on the bedside table. He picked it up and ran his finger over the smooth surface. After a second of examining the fruit, he crunched a large bite, tart juice flooding his tongue. He gave Matt a sideways glance. "And if Ryuuzaki touches me?"

Matt snatched the apple away, suddenly furious. "Don't even joke about that, Yagami. You haven't seen him. It's killing him, you know. He can't bear to see you hurt because of him, or at all. He treats you like a china doll. If you could see how Mello had been when _we_ were dating…"

"Abusive?" Light made a grab for the apple and caught it, holding it away from the vampire. "Why'd you stay with an abusive partner?"

"No, not abusive, you twat." Matt crossed his arms. "It's like if you were dating a person made of cotton candy. It's really, really hard not to tear them apart with every touch, and especially not to eat them."

Light stared at him. "So…you're saying Ryuuzaki thinks of me as cotton candy when he's kissing me?"

"No, dude. It's not like a permanent state. When he's satiated, he thinks of you as a human being. Kind of like how you'd see a cow as beef if you're hungry."

"Nice." The brunet remarked. "I'd like to go home now, where nobody wants to eat me. Thank you for the hospitality."

Matt stopped him as he swung his legs off the bed. "No can do, buddy." The redhead grinned, and sharp teeth flashed in the light. "You're on lockdown. Mr. Yagami signed off on it. With Misa Amane attempting escape and shit, he thought it better you remain in L's protective custody."

Suddenly, Light felt his heart jump to his throat. "Misa tried to escape?"

"We caught her in time, no worries. She didn't even leave the premises. Still, there were injuries, so your father decreed that you stay with L for the time being. I bet he'll come check on you soon, so focus on healing that bite mark."

Light ducked his head, feeling the dread coil around his stomach. "Matt, I'd really like to see Ryuuzaki, if it's possible."

"I'll look around for him." The redhead stated. "But I'm not making any promises. He put me in charge of you, which means he's probably at the detainment centre helping the task force."

Light nodded, keeping his eyes trained on the ground. "Okay. If you can't find him, I guess it's fine. I'll just, um. I'll just…" He glimpsed up at the vampire desperately. "Is there anything for me to do? To help, I mean. Any case files I can look at…I'm really very good at it, you know."

"She didn't get out, Yagami. No need to be so worried." Matt said with a note of concern.

"I'm not worried. I just…I need to do something. Anything, really. I feel so useless, with Misa and this whole vampire deal, it's all so beyond me. I'd really just like to solve a case, you know? That's what I usually do with everything's going to shit. I'm not working at full capacity, I need stimulation…"

Hesitantly, the redhead patted his shoulder. "I'll ask Near for some case files. I'm sure he needs help somewhere and that chess game of yours really impressed the shit out of him. Give me ten minutes, alright?"

"Yeah, that's fine." Light smiled his most brilliant, charming smile, watching the vampire's every movement with narrowed eyes.

Matt sauntered to the doorway. "Don't do anything stupid. Rest, get your strength up. L will kill me if anything happens to you."

The door swung shut behind the redhead, and Light got to work.

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A/N: ah I miss this story. The trolls on this website are really annoying so I've been putting off uploading so far XD anyway, review and comment!


	24. Sketches

Vampire hunters.

To think L had been unravelled by _vampire hunters_ of all people.

 _Ninety years_ of good behaviour. Not many vampires could boast of that. The only times L ever made a mistake was when it was somebody else's fault, like the incident half a year ago that had led to his losing the position of the Detective L. And still they couldn't cut him some slack?

He hadn't even hurt Misa, he had made sure not to. The most he had done to her was put her in a chokehold, threaten to snap her neck, it wasn't much! Fifty years ago, Mello did things like that on a _daily_ basis. Obviously, Misa must have exaggerated the claims, thrown in some groping allegations, called in a favour with a member of the Volturi (he had never hated a vampire more. Amane Misa had made an enemy, and having L as an enemy wasn't a good idea).

One thing he could consider himself lucky for was that the Volturi wasn't going to bother with him beyond this. The vampire hunters would have put in a report saying he was mortally injured and had kidnapped a human, once they confirmed that the human was alive, undamaged and ready to keep his mouth shut, they would consider it a job well done, especially with Watari's formal recommendation.

Now if they _hadn't_ injured him, it would be a different story.

Yes, it had all worked out perfectly…except the human wasn't undamaged, was he? He was weak and pale and fragile as a wet piece of paper, lying slack on L's bed like a ragdoll with his neck chewed open. He had been minutes away from dying, traumatised and frightened.

To think he had told him he loved him.

In any other world, if things had worked out differently…

It was ironic that vampire hunters had taken it all away from him when it was they who had brought him to Light in the first place.

The first day of college. The smell of cherry-blossoms in the air, students milling about and introducing themselves to each other, youthful energy suffusing the large, airy auditorium where they were meant to be having their freshman inauguration ceremony. L had not been a fan of these ceremonies, but it was mandatory for him to attend since he had scored the first ranking on their entrance exam (entirely against his will. He hadn't wanted to be doing any of this, it was all Mello's fault. Everything was always Mello's fault, they could keep it as his default status).

So L was sitting in the front row with his feet tucking under himself, chewing away at his thumbnail, one hand rummaging into his bag to fetch a handful of those small round candies Watari had packed for him as a kind of compensation (as if anything could compensate for three wasted years…).

L knew that there were going to be vampire hunters on campus, To-oh being the largest, most prominent university in the capital city of Japan, and they were sure to be at the freshman inauguration to pin down the vampires scoping the first years (or, in L's case, joining them). And the detective had already narrowed it down to one person: his fellow freshman representative, Yagami Raito. Auburn-haired, distinctly handsome and smart as a whip according to his test scores, the eighteen-year-old was sitting a few seats away from him, apparently getting ready to speak onstage, but his chestnut eyes were darting towards the crowds way too often for it to be coincidence.

He was watching, waiting for something, scrutinising each of his future classmates studiously. L's eyebrows rose as the teenager appeared to write notes in a small black notebook. It was confirmed then, this boy was a vampire hunter. A member of the centuries-old institution that had joined forces with the Volturi to keep all vampires under control.

L got up decisively out of his seat and slumped over to the teenager, who barely even looked up from his notebook, even when L was standing literally inches from him. The detective crouched so that they were pretty much nose-to-nose and narrowed his pitch-black eyes.

Seemed he had to get more direct than that. "I am Ryuuzaki." Not L. _Ryuuzaki_.

The alleged vampire hunter glanced at him for a millisecond, scribbling away into his notebook. His expression was bored out of his mind, honey-brown eyes dull. "Nice to meet you."

 _Insolence_. He was the Detective L, he wouldn't be faced with insolence! "I am also a vampire."

"Figures." The brunet muttered. "It's just my luck. The werewolves at my high-school were bad enough."

L blinked. "Werewolves?"

"Yeah. Werewolves. Does that surprise you, Count Dracula?" Yagami Raito's pen just kept on scratching into his notebook, telling him with every stroke that the detective was not worth his time.

L crossed his arms, taking the seat beside the teenager resolutely. Raito eyed the squatting detective, his eyes sweeping over his knees, which were pressed close against his chest. "Are you also a frog?"

"This position increases my deductive capabilities by forty percent." L remarked almost smugly, placing his hands on his thighs.

"And why does a vampire-frog need deductive capabilities?" Raito grinned at him, and L mentally pumped his fist, celebrating finally drawing the human's attention away from his notes.

"For the same reason a vampire hunter needs a notebook. To keep track of your people."

"My people?" Raito laughed. "Am I part of a tribe or something? If I'm a vampire hunter, I'm working on my own, thanks."

L bit his fingernail, pensive. "Hmm…you don't sound like a vampire hunter anymore. Are you attempting to pull the wool over my eyes, Yagami Raito, son of Yagami Soichiro?"

Raito gave him a coy look, his face ducking behind his notebook and scribbling something into it. Propelled by some strange urge of curiosity he didn't often feel, he made a grab for the book, making sure not to show off his vampiric reflexes. If this man actually wasn't a vampire hunter, L had better not be too indiscreet.

Unfortunately, Raito had particularly fast reflexes for a human, so swiftly hid the notebook behind his back. "Look, fuck off. If you're here to do some idiotic ragging ritual or something, I'm not going to cooperate."

L sat back, confused. "Oh, um. No, that wasn't my intention."

"Yeah, right." The brunet leaned away from him, giving him a suspicious look. "How do you know my father's name?"

L pulled his satchel closer, grabbing another handful of candy and counting it out on his palm. "I am an aspiring detective. I do my research."

"Oh, what a coincidence. So am I." Raito stuck out the hand that held his ballpoint pen. "I guess we don't need to introduce ourselves anymore, but whatever. Yagami Raito. Or Light, depending on where you're from."

L took the hand between his forefinger and thumb, much to Raito's continued amusement. "Ryuuzaki Rue."

Satisfied, Light went back to his notebook, and L felt a burning itch of curiosity. "What is it you are writing, if you are not a vampire hunter?"

"I'm _pretending_ to be a vampire hunter. I'm getting your attention off the real ones." The brunet gestured vaguely at the crowds of first-years standing around the auditorium. "They'll jump out at you soon enough with their stakes and garlic."

Somehow, L felt his lips turn up at the corners. "Well, that's rude. There was no call for the garlic."

"That's what you get for drinking people's blood, I guess. It's a cruel world." Light dropped his eyes, his pen swirling deftly in his book. "I'll put in a good word for you if you tilt your head just a little to the side."

L cocked his head, biting his thumb, and Light smiled. "Exactly like that. Hold it." He scribbled furiously, then grinned up at him. "Done."

The detective snatched the notebook away from him, peeking warily into it.

For a second, it looked like a chaotic mess of scribbles in dark blue ballpoint pen, too savage to be anything more than angry doodles and too delicate to be anything less. But when L tilted his head just right, focussing on the huge dark eyes that stood out right in the middle of the picture, he suddenly saw it.

Himself. L Lawliet was squatting there in a loose white sweatshirt and jeans, his skin bleach-white, his hair wild and spiky, sticking his thumb in his mouth as he stared curiously at the observer from the midst of chaos.

The drawing looked simultaneously like it had taken five seconds and five days to perfect. He pulled on his blankest mask to disguise his astonishment. "It's…quite good, Yagami-kun."

"No need to hold back on the praise, nobody else does. It's impressive, brilliant, comparable to Picasso." Light smirked. "I'll probably drop the hobby in a week, but until I do it's a lot of fun."

The murmurs echoing around them from their fellow students abruptly quietened down, and the lights dimmed, a spotlight flicking on in the middle of the stage. The students rushed to get to their seats, and L discreetly watched two girls dive for the same seat beside Light and get into a glaring match before one of them backed out, the winner being a petite blond model in a gothic corset.

Light tucked his notebook away into his bag. "Yep, guess it's my moment to shine now. Wish me luck."

L's lips quirked. "I'm sure you'd be brilliant with or without my wishes, Yagami-kun."

Light raised his eyebrows. "Well, you're right, but thanks. Not too sure what I've done to earn that…"

"I am a good judge of character. You are the arrogant, charismatic type of individual who enjoys public speaking. I don't doubt you will cause several people to swoon under your charms in the next ten minutes."

The brunet stared blankly at him for a second, then looked dismissively away. "I believe most people consider confidence to be a good thing."

"One can be confident without having a superiority complex, Yagami-kun."

Light drummed his fingers on the bend of his elbow. "Can you blame me? I've been the best at everything so far. No rivals my entire life, I'm not exaggerating. Maybe if I had a reason not to have a superiority complex, I wouldn't. As they say, it's lonely at the top." L wondered if the melancholy that flashed across his face was in his imagination, but it was gone so quickly it might as well have been.

One of the professors of the university came onstage, dressed in black robes, stepping into the spotlight. "Inviting the freshman representative to make their speech. The top ranker of the entrance exam…Yagami Raito."

Light sighed. "Here I go." He stood up, brushing off his suit and made to saunter over to the stage, but the lecturer suddenly rustled through his notes, flurried as he adjusted his glasses.

"Apologies, apologies. The top rank of the entrance exam was a tie. We will have a dual speech. Yagami Raito…and Ryuuzaki Rue."

L hopped casually off of his chair, grinning at the startled brunet. "And that is what we call a plot twist, Raito-kun."

For an instant, Raito looked pissed, his face set like stone as he followed the detective up the stairs to the stage. But slowly, as expected, a smile tugged at his lips.

"Oh well." He remarked offhandedly. "I suppose we won't be so lonely after all."

Their fingers brushed as they reached for their speeches at the same time.

He still had the drawing from that day. He had managed to tear it discreetly from Light's notebook (and he was pretty sure the brunet had seen him do it and not said anything). It was stapled to the last page of his sketchbook, hidden under a sheaf of his L-related paperwork in his wardrobe, and had been smoothened out so many times it was rolling at the edges.

L smoothened the picture down one last time, his eyes skimming over the detailed strokes of the pen, how the pressure put in by the nib had been so delicate one could hardly feel the grooves on the other side of the page.

He wished he had gotten Light to sign it, but to approach the teenager with the stolen page would have been like popping their shared knowledge of his secret like a bubble. He enjoyed having secrets with his Raito, he loved the little games they played. He hadn't wanted to ruin that…

But it would have been nice to have a memoir of him when he cut himself out of his life forever.

L sighed, putting the sketchbook away just as Matt stormed into the room.

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A/N: phew, it's been a while since I uploaded! Review and comment, it's really encouraging!


	25. Voyeur

The most exhausting part of being the Detective L was undoubtedly Deneuve and Eraldo Coil.

Near scrolled apathetically through his emails, reading case after case of boring, uninspiring bullshit. The problem with being the second and third greatest detectives in the world meant that people sent all of the crap they were too intimidated to send L to you, resulting in Deneuve and Eraldo Coil's inboxes being absolute dumpster fires.

Usually, Watari dealt with this part of the detective jig. In fact, if L had been L currently, he would be doing it anyway, no matter what other work he had. L had always been Watari's favourite offspring (and no, Near was definitely not jealous).

Which was why, when Matt stormed into the room he and L were sharing as they worked out exactly when the Volturi would make their move to take Misa away (so far, L approximated it at two days before the date of trial, though Near was pretty sure it would be a lot before that), Near was very, very glad for the distraction.

"Hello, Matt!" Near sang, stopping the redhead in his tracks. The vampire slid his goggles over his forehead to push back his fringe, giving him a doubtful look.

"Hello, Near…"

L looked up from where he was moping, his black hair hanging into his eyes. "Why are you here, Matt? I expressly ordered you to stay with Raito-kun at all times."

The snowy-haired vampire groaned. "You are depressing me, L, and that is a feat in itself. Please stop."

Matt raised his eyebrows, impressed. "Wow, Near, you're surprisingly active today."

Near giggled, and the redhead's eyes widened. "Yes, well, I have to say…it is a nice day. Sun is shining, birds are twittering, so on and so forth."

L curled back into a ball, hunched over his laptop as he clicked from page to page. "Near is happy because of Mello."

Matt lit up hopefully. "What do you mean? Did he apologise? Did Watari let him out yet?"

"No." Near chirped. The redhead waited for the punch line…then realised there wasn't going to be one.

"Oh, come on, Near. I can understand Mello being an idiot about your rivalry but I expected better of you."

"You sound just like Watari." Near turned his thousand-watt grin back to his computer, scrolling down the endless emails. L's inbox was drier than a riverbed in the desert, but Eraldo Coil and Deneuve were bursting. "He says he feels his age catching up because I imprisoned Mello."

"No, it's because you can't stop smiling about it." L corrected. "You will have to get a tighter rein on your emotions if you ever plan on succeeding as a detective."

"That is interesting coming from you, Romeo." Near clicked to the live feed of Misa and Mello being restrained in their cells. The model was blindfolded and kept tied to a steel frame designed by Watari himself to be unbreakable by vampires (it was lucky they had an inventor for a foster father). Mello, though, was only handcuffed, his blond hair hanging limply around his face as he grimaced at the wall.

Near found himself grinning uncontrollably, so made sure to blank his face completely lest Matt punch him.

"So, Matt. Why are you here?" L murmured roughly from where he sat, his fingers drumming rhythmically over the keyboard. Matt cleared his throat.

"Right. Um, Yagami woke up."

L stiffened, his fingers stumbling as they typed.

The redhead ran his hand through his hair. "And he's asking for you, L."

The former Detective L ducked his head, letting his heavy fringe shadow his eyes. "I'm, uh, busy."

"Thought so. I'll tell him you're interviewing Misa." The redhead sighed. "You can't hide from him forever. I hope you have a long-term solution to this."

L waited a full five seconds before he let out a breath, his eyes not leaving the bright screen of his laptop. "How is he?"

"He's healthy. He can move, doesn't feel sick. The venom's healing him with no side effects. The wound is still sore, but he seems fine." Matt walked over and patted L's shoulder. "You did good, L. Mello's done a lot worse to me."

"I did good, huh?" L muttered bitterly. Near glanced at his mentor, watched as his form grew tense, his face flushing ever so slightly pink.

Matt straightened up. "Also, Near, do you have any cases to spare? Simple ones?"

"Why?" L's voice was muffled. "Are you in the running to be my successor again, Matt?"

Matt chuckled. "No, I'm not, but I'm pretty sure Yagami wants to be."

"What?" L finally looked up, his eyes too-large, dark as ink in his pale face.

The redhead snickered. "Yeah. He says he's bored and cases help him think."

Near glimpsed over at the third-ranker. "He wants one of my cases?"

Matt raised an eyebrow disapprovingly. "No need to be a snob. I know you have plenty of cases to spare, it won't hurt to have him look at one."

Near raised his palms in the air. "Oh, no, no, you misunderstand me. Take all the cases he wants. He can take Deneuve off my hands for the rest of his life for all I care. Go ahead, I'll print the files out for you right now."

L closed his laptop decisively. "Let me get this straight. He wants to…work on a case. After he's been bitten by a vampire and almost bled to death."

Matt fidgeted. "Um, yeah. He said it helps him cope with stress or something like that."

L got to his feet, his back straight as a rod, and Matt stumbled back. "What? What happened?"

Without another word, the detective thudded out of the room. The white-haired vampire peeked out of the doorway to see L's blurred shape sprinting at full speed towards the guest room.

Matt turned his astonished gaze to Near, who sniggered, clicking back to the tab that watched the imprisoned Mello and Misa in HD quality.

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A/N: Review and comment, it's really encouraging!


	26. Damsel

Light patted himself on the back (not literally, because he could barely raise his arm, let alone bend it while it was up there). Three minutes, and he already had a viable cloth ladder ready from the drapes and the sheets that had been over the bed he had determinedly pushed in front of the door.

Wounds didn't bother him while he was in crisis mode. _Nothing_ bothered him while he was in crisis mode. His body was a tool in itself, and he would work until he dropped because it wasn't every day there was a serial killer attempting escape in order to suck out his blood and kill him, and it definitely wasn't every day that his only refuge was a house full of vampires.

Nope. Light was not going to die today. It was a bad sign that his father knew where he was, because Yagami Soichiro (as of the last time he had seen him) wasn't going to believe him about the bloodsucking monsters that resided within the Detective L's premises (a precious few people would). This meant he had to strike out on his own, which wasn't a bad option because he had prepared for this.

Three years ago, when he first realised he was gay, Light had set up an escape plan. In case his father tried something drastic, which he was prone to do. The brunet had saved up on money, slipping it into a jar under his desk every day until he had enough to buy a plane ticket to China (with some left to spare). The prices were surprisingly low, meaning that with three years of saving up, he had enough to keep himself afloat for a couple months until he got a job and moved to wherever in the world he wanted to.

In addition to that, he had practiced making cloth ladders, an essential skill for someone with a room on the first floor. He had practiced religiously for two months straight until it came to him easy as riding a bike, a skill that was coming in handy now, since L had imprisoned him on the first floor as well.

The steps to his current plan were: 1. Climb out of the window using his awe-inspiring ladder. 2. Hitch a ride home (and make sure his shoulder wound was okay, this was going to be excruciating). 3. Sneak into his bedroom using Sayu as a potential ally and pack up his stuff and hitch another ride to the airport (the rest was history).

It was the best he could do under the circumstances. His head was still foggy, possibly due to the drugs (or the venom Matt kept mentioning) and he had to prepare himself to climb out the window with no safety guards, nothing.

Wow. Now that he thought about it, this was a crazy plan. Why couldn't he think straight? Why couldn't he think of something better? What had they drugged him with?

There was no time to spare. He had managed to successfully manipulate Matt, but that wouldn't keep him for long. Once he managed to wheedle a case file from Nate River and brought it back, Light would be caught, and he knew the bed in front of the door would hardly prove an obstacle for a vampire with superhuman strength.

Light threw the sheets out of the window, watching it unfurl until it touched the bushes sprouting from the freshly mown lawn outside the manor. He tugged at where he had fastened it to the heavy wardrobe, finding it as firm as he had expected (which was very, Light didn't do things halfway).

He took a deep breath and gripped the sheets as he put all his weight on it, placing his leg decisively on the first rung.

The brunet winced as his injured neck protested the exertion, but he didn't have time to stop. He had to be gone as soon as possible. He had seen Ryuuzaki run, he had to be out of sight before the vampires realised he was gone.

Step by step by step. Light's breaths were heavy, a sheen of sweat covering his forehead, but he was so fucking proud of his cloth ladder. It was brilliant, holding up to every shift in weight, and he had made it in literally three minutes. He'd love to see anyone else making a top-grade cloth ladder in three minutes.

Against his better judgement, the brunet looked down and felt his head spin. He was so far off the ground, it hadn't looked so high from the window. _Fuck_. He leaned into the ladder, clutching it tightly, his nails digging into the rough cloth. He let out a whimper, then shook his head, slowly dropping his leg to nestle it into the next rung. _Fuck, fuck, fuck_. This was such a bad idea, he hadn't accounted for his own weakness, he wasn't used to being weak. His limbs were aching, his several accumulated bruises sapping at his strength, and his shoulder wound felt like it had been branded on by a white-hot poker.

He closed his eyes, feeling for the next rung.

The cloth ladder shuddered and Light realised with a jolt that they were already here. The vampires were trying to open the door blocked by the bed, and the motion was shaking everything in the room.

Light bit his lip, the pain drawing his attention from his rapidly beating heart to the present. There was nothing productive to be gained from freaking out, he had to move _now_.

The cloth ladder trembled again. Someone had shoved the bed aside with a loud thud, and the jolt of the furniture against the wall almost tossed Light off of his ladder onto the ground. He clutched the fabric, ducking his head forward. His leg shivered as he made to take the next rung down.

"Raito-kun!" Ryuuzaki's voice called from the bedroom, so full of panic and concern it hurt to think of what he had done. "Raito-kun, _where are you?"_

He took the next step down, willing himself not to freeze up in terror. Step by step by step, he was going to make it to the ground…

Ryuuzaki stuck his head out of the window, his face pale and shadowed by his spiky black hair in the afternoon light, taking in a shaky gasp. "Raito-kun, _bloody hell._ Stay still!"

 _No, no, no._ He gulped, digging his nails into the fabric. This was the worst case scenario, if he jumped now he could sprain a leg, and he couldn't run with a sprained leg…

"Hold on." The uncannily monotone voice was tinged with fear as the ladder suddenly dragged upwards by an inch. "Hold on, I'm going to pull you up!"

Light took a deep breath and jumped.

He hit the ground running, his legs managing to take the force of the leap, a feat to be applauded especially with his shoulder wound feeling like someone had scooped his flesh out with a carving knife. He held the bandaged injury tight as he stumbled haphazardly towards the road he could see from within the yard.

The gate was a few metres away, he could see that it was unlatched and led directly into the driveway. Maybe he could hijack one of the several sports cars parked there. He knew the basics of how to hotwire a car, but he was running on borrowed time and _this wasn't going to work, was it? He wasn't going to escape, this whole thing was just one last-ditch effort-_

There was a loud, rapid thumping as the vampire leaped out of the window and sprinted to catch up with him. Light cried out, running so desperately his legs almost gave out. His outstretched fingers were literally inches away from the handle of the gate when cold hands encircled his waist and lifted him off the ground.

"No! No, no, _no, no!"_ His voice grew higher in pitch with every word as he was hauled backwards. "No, please, God!" He kicked out at his captor, screaming as he reached out frantically for the receding gate. The arms around his torso and waist were iron cables dragging him away. _"No! No!"_

His feet stumbled along as Ryuuzaki pulled him forcefully along towards the window with the long blanket ladder hanging out of it. His every breath heaved, raking down his throat. The adrenaline rushing through him dulled the pain of his wound, but it also fogged up his brain again. All he could do was struggle wildly against the man, his nails glancing off of his stone skin, his muscles straining uselessly, his screams dissolving into strangled moans as dizziness overtook him.

"Raito-kun, I am going to carry you." The vampire's words were quiet, a rumbling that echoed through his bones. Ryuuzaki hefted him up into his arms and Light fought, kicking and wriggling as he grabbed hold of anything within his grasp, the stones along the wall, the ladder itself and Ryuuzaki's hair, which he nearly ripped out in his frenzy.

"Stop it! Why are you doing this, what have I _done? Why me,_ Ryuuzaki? _What did I ever do to you?"_

The vampire deposited him resolutely on the bare mattress of his bed and Light made to scramble up before his neck stabbed sharply and he fell onto his back, panting in agony. Ryuuzaki stood over him, impassive and chastising. It gave him déjà vu.

"Do you think I'm keeping you here for my own amusement, Yagami Raito?"

Light hissed. "You're keeping me here as a snack, you sick fuck."

Ryuuzaki rubbed a hand over his face. "If I wanted you as a snack, I would have eaten you already."

Light tried to sit up again, but it was impossible. His body was drained, the most he could do was prop himself up on his elbows, sticky with sweat. "If you consume me all at once, I won't produce any more blood, will I? And then you'll have to kidnap another innocent college kid to keep your perverse fantasies going." He turned away, wiping his damp forehead on his wrist. "You disgust me."

"I disgust you, do I?" The vampire bared his teeth, and Light could actually visibly see his canines elongate. Ryuuzaki crawled onto the bed and climbed on top of Light, thrusting his face inches from his, hands on both sides of him caging him in. "I thought you said you loved me." The detective's breath was sugar-sweet, as if he had binge-eaten a pack of chocolate-chip cookies.

"I did, and I meant it, you cruel bastard." The teenager stared him down, jaw tight. "I will never forgive you for this. You'll rot in hell."

"Forgive me for what? Protecting you from Amane Misa? You think what I did to you was bad, you should just see some of her victims. Haven't you seen Hishida Shino's report? Didn't you see the state of his body?"

Light let out a sarcastic chuckle. "Matt said something like that. Apparently, you treat me like a china doll." He touched the bandages over his neck, feeling the dip where they had grown damp with blood because of his expedition. "You don't have to worry. They locked her up again while you were hiding. You can free me now."

Ryuuzaki shifted off of Light, sticking his thumb into his mouth as he chewed on his nail.

The brunet smirked. "No, you're not going to do that, are you?"

The detective glared at him. "Do you really think a decades-old vampire is so easy to imprison? The reason the vampire hunters came after me yesterday, the implications of it…she has contacts within the Volturi, friends who will bend rules to help her out. She has set her mind on making you her mate, so until she is officially behind bars you are not safe, Raito-kun. Do you have a death wish? Do you wish to become Misa's undead lover for all of eternity?"

Light rolled his eyes. "You can give up the pretence of helping me, Ryuuzaki. We both know exactly what you're planning to do with your new little human." He fell limply onto the bed, exhausted. "Go ahead, do whatever you want. I'm helpless to fight back anyway."

For a minute there was silence, and then Ryuuzaki sniffled. Light peeked up curiously and saw that the detective was hiding his eyes under his fringe, crouching on top of the bed with his hands clasped in front of his mouth.

The voice that came from the huddled creature was rough, cracking. "I told you not to help me. I told you, several times. I told you you'd stop loving me if you did it but you did it anyway."

Light gaped at the sulking man. "Don't you dare make me look like the bad guy after you choke me and bite me and lock me in a house full of vampires."

Ryuuzaki's voice was muffled and quiet. "I'd rather have died than…have this. I've lived long enough to justify death."

"Seriously?" Light tried to scramble up to a sitting position, feeling his limbs give way but unable to give a single fuck. "That is _seriously_ your concern? Not the fact that you tore my neck open _, without warning_ , mind you, and-"

Ryuuzaki stopped him with a kiss, leaning forward and swallowing his words. His lips were cold against Light's, but didn't press down, only flitting above him with a moth's wing touch, his fingers brushing the line of his jaw. "Raito-kun, of all the things you can blame me for, not beating myself up over hurting you is not one of them." He mumbled against his lips. "I cannot tell you how much it kills me that I caused you any kind of discomfort. If I could, I would cut myself out of your life this instant, if only Amane Misa wasn't a vamp-"

Light's fist crashed into Ryuuzaki's cheekbone, catching him off-guard and moving his head slightly to the side. The brunet splayed his fingers in the air to ward off the shooting pain and narrowed his amber eyes, glaring at the man looming over him. "Don't you dare ever kiss me again, Ryuuzaki."

Ryuuzaki looked stunned, shifting off of the brunet. "R-right. Sorry."

"Now I'd appreciate it if you go away, thanks." Light bit out, closing his eyes as he felt a spike in his headache. He heard Ryuuzaki make a choked sound and revelled in it. _That's right, feel sorry about it, you lying, abusive asshole._

Ryuuzaki drew a deep breath. "One thing before I go, Raito-kun. Just one thing."

"What?" Light cracked open an eye, watching as the pale man wrung his hands together nervously.

"I-if I had told you I was going to bite you…would you have refused me?" The vampire licked his lips. "I just…because if you would have, I…I…I need to feel much sorrier than I already do…which is impossible…" He finally met Light's eyes with those deep dark pools. "I will make it up to you, Raito-kun. I will, I swear to you. I will…" With an abrupt, startling sob, Ryuuzaki suddenly fell back to his crouch, burying his face in his arms as he shot out his words quicker than Light had ever heard him speak. "I will never cross your path again. The minute Amane Misa is sentenced, you will never see me again. I won't even-"

Light rolled his eyes. "Ryuuzaki."

The detective quietened down but did not raise his head. Light sighed. "Ryuuzaki, I wouldn't have refused you. You were dying, I would have let you do anything."

The black-haired man's dark eyes peeked out of his huddle. "Really?"

"Yeah. I told you, I loved you. I would have done that for you. All you needed to do was ask, but you didn't. You did it without a single warning. Am I seriously supposed to trust you after that?"

Ryuuzaki watched him with unblinking black eyes. "I…I've understood."

The teenager stared at him. "Understood what?"

"I've understood why you are upset." He whispered.

Light raised an eyebrow. "You have, have you?"

The pale man crawled over towards the brunet, stopping shortly in front of him, his expression mournful.

"It's not because I hurt you, though that does play its part. 93.8% of the problem is helplessness. My whole approach has resulted in Raito-kun losing all control. He doesn't like being confined to this house, he doesn't like being in the dark about things. He is physically weaker than everyone around him, he has been tossed around like a paper plane for nearly a week, he is injured and irritable and has a dangerous woman threatening his life."

Light raised his palm. "Get to the point, or I'll assume this is some retarded way to absolve yourself of what you did."

At that, those icy arms enveloped him, careful to avoid his wounded shoulder as they pressed him close. His lips touched the shell of his ear, his breath was surprisingly warm. "The point is, Raito-kun, that there was a 14% chance of this being your reaction. Fourteen out of a hundred, the minority. If my estimations are to be believed…I get to keep you."

"Excuse me?"

"It's simple." His hand cupped the brunet's jaw and turned it to face his own as he laid on the bed next to him. The black-haired man placed a single kiss on Light's forehead and smiled a smile tinted with sadness. "Raito-kun still loves me."

Light turned away. "Right."

"Do you deny it? Everything he has gone through, all of the horror, it hasn't ruined his image of me, not really. If I somehow fix this, my Raito will return to me. Am I wrong?"

Light shut his eyes, listening to the sound of his own breathing, his wound throbbing with heat.

"I love you, Raito-kun. Nothing will change that. Even if you reject me, even if you tell me to stay away, I will still love you."

The brunet sighed, opting not to answer. Ryuuzaki laid another kiss on his cheek.

"I'll let you rest, have Watari change your bandages. And if you want to leave, in spite of the threat of Misa's colleagues, please just ask me. Don't make your condition worse. I would never keep you against your will."

Light watched as Ryuuzaki crawled off of the bed and shuffled over to the doorway. He turned back, giving the brunet a lingering, longing glance. The teenager lifted a hand and casually flipped him the bird, pulling his legs close as he turned to his side, his cheek resting against the firm mattress.

The detective quirked a smile. "When you wake up, I shall explain everything to you. Perhaps you will feel better then."

Light suppressed a yawn. All this talk of sleeping…and his already run-down body… He had to focus on escaping (didn't he?)…but maybe a nap really was in order.

"You know, Raito-kun, for someone who doesn't want to be a damsel in distress, you sure do act like one." The vampire zipped to the window, yanking up the ladder of sheets and drapes. "Climbing out the window with your bedsheets? Will you wish upon a star next?"

"Fuck off, Ryuuzaki."

Ryuuzaki laughed quietly, pulling the door shut behind him.

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A/N: Review and comment, it's really encouraging!


	27. Bond

Mello was so bored that he decided to use the bond.

It took a truly desperate situation for the blonde to ever want to use that fucking connection. It was an abomination, possibly the weirdest part of being a vampire there was, and he wasn't even exaggerating.

The second-ranked successor folded his legs beneath himself, staring intently at the wall of his prison, hating Near with all his heart for putting him here. He hadn't done anything worthy of imprisonment, all he had done was leave a door open. Okay, so it had been the door leading to the woman they had been wrongfully imprisoning under the misguided opinion that she was going to threaten their family (as if she could possibly do any damage to a coven of five on her own. Even L's human was safe as long as they kept him close, there was no reason they had to imprison her!).

But could he really be blamed for trying to free her, after what Soichiro Yagami had done?

He was absolutely 100% certain that Nate River had pulled strings to get him in here. He had probably manipulated Watari, because the old man had never been so harsh towards him, not even during the Paris massacre.

Fucking Near. Mello rotated his wrists to push his handcuffs further down in an attempt to loosen them. One day, Mello would outrank Near and then _he_ would be in the prison cell rotting away to eternity, mark his words! One day, that albino wannabe-L would pay for this.

Mello closed his eyes and knitted his eyebrows, focussing on using the bond-connection to enter his mate. For most of the time after they had been connected, Mello kept the bond closed. He didn't exactly want his redheaded boyfriend spying on him, but at times like these, it was nice to have a boyfriend who never closed his side of it. That way, he didn't have to wait for permission.

He blinked his eyes open and found himself in a dingy, darkened room, bars over the window letting in rays of sunlight, the sanitised walls of his prison gone. _Misa's detainment room_. This couldn't be more convenient, Matt was doing his bit, escorting one of the policemen on their way to interrogate the vampire. They needed a confession from her. It was only when the Volturi realised that the case was solid that they would take measures to extract her. Usually, a vampire would manage to escape somehow. They were all rich, powerful, centuries old, after all, and had access to the greatest resources.

Misa didn't have any of that. When being detained by the detective L, there was no question of a vampire being more privileged than a human, they were both equally fucked. _It wasn't fair._ And the Volturi couldn't even order the detective to release her because the goddamn NPA was involved.

Mello watched through Matt's eyes as the redhead swaggered across the room, taking his position as bodyguard for the interrogator. Guess they must have cracked down since the escape, they hadn't had to stay in the same room as the NPA officers before.

The redhead's perspective dipped as he reached for a fresh cigarette from the box he had stuffed in his pocket. A long rolled stick was drawn, he lit it by quickly raking his nail over the stone wall for sparks and stuck it in his mouth. _What a fucking show off._

He casually looked up again, and Mello got a good view of the two people at the interrogation chamber. His heart clutched at the sight of the worn-down woman, her blond hair wispy as it fell in greasy lines around her face, her large hazel eyes ringed with dark circles and her cheeks sunken.

Matt blew out a cloud of smoke, temporarily disrupting Mello's vision and making his lungs burn. This was why he didn't use the connection, Matt was so damn inconvenient to be in. He wondered how the redhead lived like this on a daily basis.

"Misa-Misa, you have one last chance to confess!" The insufferably perky voice of Chief Yagami's partner, Matsuda, filled the room. "Take the deal! They won't put you on death row if you confess, it's the best deal you'll ever get!" _So fucking happy_. What Mello wouldn't do to break that man's nose…

The model raised her head, and Mello was gratified to see that her eyes were still sharp _. That's right, vampires couldn't be beaten so easily!_ "Misa will not confess. If Misa confesses, she will never see her Raito again."

Matsuda bleated nervously. Matt snorted, and the sound reverberated through Mello's entire existence. The redhead lifted his eyes so they focussed on Misa.

The young officer's eyes were darting from Misa to his partner and back, terrified. "U-um, sure you can! He can come visit you, and you can…um…"

"I thought I told you... _not_ to bring my son's name into these proceedings again."

 _Soichiro fucking Yagami_. Mello felt a depth of hatred within him that he didn't feel often (no, who was he kidding, of course he felt it often). Bloody savage of a human, he was as bad as those vampire hunters, and he wasn't even endorsed by the Volturi.

Mello glared intensely at the prim, straight-backed middle-aged man, remembering the torture he had witnessed only two days ago. How Soichiro had wielded Watari's weapon with malice, pressed it into Misa's skin, hardly waiting for her to heal before he'd dug it into her ribs once more.

How could Matt not be disgusted by this? This wasn't justice, this was _unnecessary_. All vampires killed humans, this one was only being punished because she had tried to kill the wrong one (and the worst part was, she didn't even _want_ to kill him. All she wanted was a mate. A fucking _mate_ ).

 _Mello? Is that you?_

God fucking damn it. He hadn't kept his emotions in check, now Matt knew he was there. He tried to withdraw as smoothly as he could, but his mate sunk his claws into him, hauling him back.

 _Where the fuck do you think you're going? I haven't heard a peep from you in days!_

Mello heard himself groan where he sat on his prison bench. Screw yourself, Matt. I don't want to talk to you, I want to spy on Chief Imagay.

Matt chuckled out loud, his lungs squeezing and retracting, but luckily neither of the self-righteous fucks at the interrogation table noticed.

 _You can do with being a little less harsh towards him, Mello. It's not his fault Amane's dangerously obsessed with his son._

I don't need you to talk me down, Matt, I don't want to speak to you. Go away.

Matt sighed, turning his attention back to the interrogation, where Matsuda was trying to mend things between the aggravated chief and the vampire in the straitjacket. "Misa-Misa, be reasonable! Confess, and you can…live! Life is full of possibilities! It's better than being dead, at least!"

Matt noticed Misa's canines cut her lips as they elongated. She turned the force of her glower on the happy-go-lucky police officer, and the young man notably winced. "Misa does not expect you to understand. You are only a human, and worse, you aren't even a smart human. How could you understand how Misa thinks?" She leaned forward in her straitjacket, baring her inhumanly sharp teeth and shouted _. "She can't even expect her Raito to understand!_ _How can she expect_ you _to?"_

Soichiro Yagami jumped to his feet, slamming his hands on the metal table separating them. "For the last time, you beast, do not speak his name! He is not yours!"

 _"He is!_ He accepted it himself! He said he wants Misa, he said he wants to be with her after she proves her innocence! He said it himself and nothing you can say can change that!" Misa struggled in her bonds, hissing and snapping. "You terrible man! Misa can't believe _you_ are her Raito's father, you are revolting! You are not worth the dirt on his shoe!"

The chief of police pulled the weapon from his holster, a slim black baton capped with a smooth transparent substance Mello knew colloquially as Silver. _"Enough!"_ The man roared, stabbing the stick into her collar. The vampire howled in agony, writhing away from it, and Mello could see the shadow where her skin would rot if she wasn't given blood to heal herself. "We are not bargaining with this creature! We will tell L she was uncooperative and has a death-wish. I will not speak with her any longer. Come, Matsuda!"

"B-But…" Matsuda hesitated to stand, and was faced with the full undiluted effects of Soichiro's forbidding glare. He wilted, getting shakily up. "O-okay, chief…"

They had just reached the double-bolted door, Matt pushing himself off the wall resignedly, when Misa suddenly shrieked. _"Wait!"_

Matsuda screeched to a halt, whipping back hopefully. "Do you wish to confess, Misa-Misa?"

"Yes!" Her hurried cry stopped even Soichiro, who looked back curiously. With a whoop of joy, the chief's partner dived for his seat, ripping out his recorder and placing it carefully right in the middle of the table's surface.

"You can confess now." The younger man said eagerly.

Misa smiled. "Doesn't Matt-san have to contact L first?"

The redheaded vampire grunted. "Yeah, she's right. Give me a second." Matt's voice was too loud in Mello's head, echoing uncomfortably. He pulled out a cellphone from his pocket, pushing the first button in speed dial and holding it to his ear. "You can set up the laptop, Matsuda-san. You know how to do that, don't you?"

Matsuda nodded enthusiastically. "Yeah! Watari showed me! I'll do it right away!" The police officer loped over to a tray pushed into the wall, pulling out a chrome laptop and placing it beside the recorder, opening it up to face Misa's pale mug. He pressed a few buttons on the keyboard. "It's done!"

Matt snapped his phone shut. "Yeah, he'll be there in a second." It took much longer than a second, but soon enough, the grey monitor lit up white, an inky gothic L appearing in the centre.

"I hope you are not here to waste my time. I have important things to be doing." The scrambled voice floated out of the laptop and Mello gritted his teeth. He would never get used to having Near behind the wheel. Three years couldn't pass soon enough.

"I assure you, L-san, this is important! Misa-Misa says that she wants to confess!"

There was a pause of a few seconds before Near piped up again in L's garbled voice. "Well? I assumed she was going to confess? Must I ask her personally?"

Matsuda coloured. "Oh, yes." He gestured frantically for Misa to proceed.

The blond vampire smiled, her lips pale as all of her blood pooled around her rotting collarbone to heal it. "Misa is ready to confess."

Mello was amused to note that Near's sigh was garbled by the voice modulator as well. "Yes, that was pretty clear. I hope you are not wasting my time, Miss Amane, or-"

"Let me finish. Misa is ready to confess…but _only_ to her Raito."

Soichiro bellowed as he sprinted towards her. "I'll kill you, you monster! Take my son's name again, _I dare you!"_ Matt stepped forward and caught the flailing chief, shoving him back with the brunt of his vampiric strength.

"Chief Yagami, please keep the decorum of the investigation. L is present. I hope you do not mean to be disrespectful." Matt said offhandedly as he ran a hand through his ginger hair, but Mello could feel how hard his heart was beating with his eyes fixed on the baton Soichiro was gripping with white knuckles.

Luckily, the chief mellowed down. "I apologise, but I will not allow-"

"It is not in your place to allow or forbid things, Chief Yagami." Near interjected. "You are an investigative officer. This task force is in my jurisdiction. If you show any such impulsive actions again, I will be forced to dismiss you."

Misa grinned. "That's right! Go away, you disgusting human!"

"Do not speak out of turn, Miss Amane." Near snapped. "We shall deliberate upon your conditions and come back to you with an answer. Matt, put the laptop away and escort Miss Amane back to her cell."

"How dare you?" Soichiro Yagami's eyes were nearly popping out of his skull. "I will not allow my son to come within ten metres of this woman!"

Near sighed once more. "Unfortunately, Chief Yagami, your opinion does not matter in the slightest. Please leave the room with your partner."

Soichiro gaped, and Misa giggled with delight. "You have no choice but to humour Misa! Misa knows exactly what your game-plan is! You cannot deny her!"

"We can deny you, Amane-san, and if required, we will. The choice lies solely with me, because I am L."

"Oh, you just try keeping Misa's Raito from her, just try." The blond girl grinned. "Misa has her own plan going. Unlike you, Misa has _friends."_

"What friends?" Near asked suspiciously. "Who are you referring to? Your contact in the Volturi?"

Misa giggled. "You'll find out soon enough! Nobody keeps Misa from her Raito!"

In a sudden burst of inspiration, Matsuda hopped over. "Misa-Misa, let's make a deal. I will guarantee that Yagami-kun will come visit you…if you give us a hint!"

Misa considered that, her lips in a pout. "Is that a promise? You will bring my Raito to me?"

"Yes, Misa-Misa! I'll speak with him myself! I'm sure L will agree if you give us the name of your friend who is helping you!"

The blond girl grinned toothily. "It's a deal!"

"Great!" Matsuda beamed. "So…tell us?"

The room filled with tension as the model smirked smugly. Soichiro Yagami looked ready to pummel the girl into the dust, and Mello was sure Near was fuming behind his laptop screen. The blonde was sure L wouldn't have had the model acting out so much if he was in charge.

"Okay, I'll give you your hints." The model chirped. "Guess who it is. She is a member of the Volturi. She's seven feet tall, white-haired and yellow-eyed."

Near got annoyed, but Matsuda managed to interject before anyone else. "We want a name, Misa-Misa. That is the deal!"

The blond girl made a tittering sound. "No it wasn't! The deal was a hint!"

"Amane Misa." The garbled voice from the laptop sounded annoyed. "Stop messing around and give us the name, or I will make sure Yagami Raito will never see you for the rest of his life."

She pouted. "You sure you don't want to guess?"

"No thanks, Misa-Misa." Matsuda wrung his hands together, beaming nervously as he tended to do.

"Aw fine." The model sighed.

"Her name is Rem."

.

.

A/N: Review and comment, it's really encouraging!


	28. Silver

Yagami Raito was not used to lying in bed and having everything done for him.

He had been a pampered child, of course. There was no denying he was privileged and had everything fed to him with a silver spoon. He was much more lucky than the average teenager, but there was one thing to be said about him: he did not sit around waiting for people to do things for him. Yagami Raito did things himself. Nobody was smart enough to match up to him, he wasn't going to lie on his back and tossed about like a paper plane, as Ryuuzaki had so aptly phrased it. Yagami Raito was going to find a way out of this mess, a way they never expected, he was going to find himself a foothold if it was the last thing he did.

Escape was ruled out. It was the coward's way, he had only chosen it because he had been out of his mind with pain, a wounded animal only looked for self-preservation. Now, though, with every moment of his failed escape attempt haunting him, making him cringe with embarrassment, he was going to look for a way to fight.

"Wonderful progress. Does it hurt anymore?"

Light shook his head, sitting up in bed as Ryuuzaki's aged guardian probed at the region right above his collarbone, his fingers running over the smooth, flat scar that had taken the place of his bleeding wound from two hours ago. Watari looked up at him through his half-moon glasses, smiling gently. "The venom was very effective. Are you feeling okay, Yagami-san?"

Light blew out an exasperated breath. "I'm as okay as can be expected, Watari-san." He cocked his head at the old man. "Are you one of them?"

"Yes, I am a vampire as well." Watari straightened up and stood at attention, butler-like. "I am the one who converted Mello, Near and Ryuuzaki."

Light raised his eyebrows. "How did you become this? Is it like in the stories, by biting? Am I going to become one of you?"

Watari smiled. "Not quite. Ryuuzaki would have had to drain you completely and fill you with venom as you died. The venom is the agent that causes vampirism. It is what healed your wound so quickly, but there isn't enough of it in you now to cause any damage, especially with the amount of blood in you. You are a very healthy young man, Yagami Raito, and I do not say that lightly." The old man chuckled. "You are quite the temptation for us. If Mello had been here, it would have been inconvenient having you around."

A chill ran down Light's spine as he took in the coldness of Watari's eyes. _This man could murder him and feel nothing._ It was lucky Light was good at acting. "Watari-san, may I ask you a question?"

The old man raised his eyebrows. "Yes, you may."

"How did Mikami-senpai hurt Ryuuzaki, if he is an immortal being?"

Watari nodded. "Ah, you would be wondering that, wouldn't you? I must thank you for that service, by the way, Yagami-san. Without your blood Ryuuzaki would never have survived. It was very kind of you."

Light clasped his hands together. "Sure, but why did it happen?"

"Well…that has to do with a substance called Whammy's Silver. A substance I myself created out of material harmful for vampires back when I was human. It helps the human branch of the Volturi, our governing body, keep control over the vampires. Ryuuzaki had been framed by your friend, Amane Misa, for a case of troublemaking and so the Volturi had sent two hunters after him. A mercy that they hadn't taken him in for a trial, hunters are easier to handle. It is all done, but it was an inconvenient situation she put us through."

Light considered that information, bowing his head as he chewed on his lip. Ryuuzaki had mentioned the Volturi before. Whammy's Silver, huh? If Watari truly created Whammy's Silver, and the detective L functioned from within this house, Otou-san, being L's man at the moment, would definitely have it upon his person.

"Watari-san." The brunet said just as the old man began to retreat from the room. "This Silver you mentioned, is there any way I can examine it? It sounds interesting from a chemistry point of view." He made sure to grin bashfully, his eyes bright and curious. "All of this sounds intriguing, I'd love to see it, especially if you have synthesised it yourself."

Watari raised his eyebrows. "You are interested in chemistry, Yagami-san?"

Light straightened out his fringe. "Yeah, I was always good at chemistry in school. Is it very rare, the Silver?"

"It isn't rare, no. It is a jelly-like substance that we can mould into several shapes and harden by heating. I usually prefer to place it at the end of batons, that way it is easier for us vampires to handle them, though we must be exceptionally careful as we do. However, the vampire hunters generally create gloves. Due to the increased surface area, these are more toxic." Watari's eyes clouded over as he smiled. "It is fascinating to study. What it does is accelerate our rot at a rate that our venom cannot reach. As our venom depends on blood to push it along our system post the newborn stage, unless we have fed right before we are struck, the damage can be devastating. Ryuuzaki hadn't fed for two days or so when the hunters struck him, and for those two days he had constantly been under stress and activity, which was why he was so affected."

Light eyed him carefully. "So, can I see it sometime?"

Watari raised his eyebrows suspiciously and Light immediately performed damage control, giving him an innocent, starry-eyed grin. The old man didn't seem convinced. "Yes, you can see it sometime. However, it would be silly of me to keep some in a house full of vampires, don't you think? Perhaps you can ask your father to show you, whenever you see him next."

 _Back off, back off, back off_. "Yeah, sure! Thank you so much, Watari-san. I really appreciate you taking the time to explain all this to me."

The guardian seemed placated. "I am glad to help, Yagami-san. If you need anything else, just shout my name. We all have enhanced senses, I'll be able to pick it up from downstairs."

In other words, he shouldn't try to escape again, because they would be paying attention. "Of course. Thank you again."

"No problem." The old man left the room and Light swung his legs off the bed, tiptoeing to the door and peeking outside, making sure he was gone.

"Fuck." The brunet leaned back against the wall, pressing his hand to his racing heart. "Oh, fuck." He was in so much danger. He could sense just how much Watari wanted to chew him up like a bone, and when he had talked of draining him of his blood to convert him into a vampire, the absolute relish in his eyes… (healthy young man?). Light felt nausea churn in his stomach.

He had to find a way out of this, and he would not get it by lying in this room. Light took a deep breath, peered outside for any sign of Watari returning, and grabbed the glass of water the butler-like man had placed on his bedside table. He tipped it into his mouth, gulping down all of the water and placing it carefully back, taking a deep breath. His excuse: he needed to find the restroom, and his throat was too sore to yell for something so trivial.

Yeah, that sounded plausible. Satisfied, the brunet slipped soundlessly out of his bedroom.

The house was structured like some kind of palace. There were two floors total, one being the ground floor which seemed to be some sort of ballroom and the first floor, which was little more than a long, open hallway that looked over the ballroom floor like a gallery. Both floors had attached rooms along the walls, and there was what looked like a kitchen all the way in the corner of the ballroom floor.

He could hear rummaging from down there, and Ryuuzaki's black hair popped into view as he threw the refrigerator door open. Light ducked behind a stone sculpture placed against the nearby wall.

"Near, have you seen my cake?" Ryuuzaki murmured, but the echo took his deep voice all the way to Light. The brunet smiled involuntarily. He rarely saw Ryuuzaki without some sort of sweet on him. It was like that was all he had for every single meal. The teenager had even seen him eating pastries during classes, always with a china plate and tiny silver spoon.

"No, I have not." Nate River sounded particularly bored with life, as he always did. "Matt must have eaten it, he had been depressed that he had to accompany Chief Yagami." The ghost of a smile permeated his voice. "The venerable Chief isn't very likeable, is he?"

Light felt a stab of indignation, quelling the impulse to stomp up to them and demand exactly what they meant by that. _Yeah, maybe he's not likeable because he's looking for justice among you dirty criminals!_

"Charisma doesn't seem to run in the family." Ryuuzaki's mouth sounded full, and the black-haired man appeared from the depths of the fridge with a plate full of a slice of strawberry cheesecake. "Huh. He took my chocolate cake. I thought Matt hated chocolate."

"No, you got us mixed up." Nate was ever so amused. "I am the one who hates chocolate. Matt is neutral, and Mello loves it."

"Ah, of course." Ryuuzaki seemed to be grinning. "You three are quite easy to mix up, unfortunately. Forgive me, Near."

"No we aren't. I feel we are quite distinct as successors go."

"Yes, well. I was never one for names. Or people. Or anything outside of cases."

Nate's white head floated into view beside Ryuuzaki's spiky black mane. "We're the same in that regard. I think I learnt it from you."

"Hmm." Ryuuzaki paused to gobble up more cake.

"Anyway, you seem to be getting better at it, with the whole Yagami fiasco." Near's voice continued, a pleasantly low drone.

"There's a reason we're calling it a fiasco, Near."

The white-haired man chuckled. "Still. You're doing better than I would. At least he's interested in you."

"Yes, he's interested in me." Ryuuzaki's ability to sound sarcastic was hampered by the cake in his mouth. "So interested he literally jumped out of a window."

Light quirked a smile, turning his attention back to the rooms on his floor. As interesting as this conversation was, he needed to scavenge for information on his predicament (and perhaps, hopefully, blackmail material).

He darted to the next door on the gallery, inching it open and peeking inside. A bathroom? _There went his excuse_. Light softly shut it again, tiptoeing past it. He hadn't seen that door, of course not.

"Yeah, you're right. You're not doing a very good job." Nate sounded bored again. "Logically, you should be spending all the time you can with him, not giving him capacity to think on all the things you did wrong during the course of your relationship."

Light froze in place. _Oh my god, Near, why._ Should he go back to his room? He was still defenceless, he didn't have any resources in that room. He wanted just a little more time to gather intel, he didn't have anything yet (he didn't want to go back to that room when they could just lock the door behind them and imprison him inside without a second thought the way Matt had).

Ryuuzaki hummed, swallowing his cake. When he spoke, his voice was hesitant. "I want to…give him space. He _should_ contemplate, Near. He should have time to think, I don't want to smother him. I've already caused him enough suffering."

The brunet breathed a sigh of relief, sneaking into the next room, ignoring the fluttering of his heart.

This room was a different one, empty of all furniture but a single desk pushed against the wall and a wardrobe on the other side. Light wandered curiously inside, stopping in front of a second laptop lying on the floor beside the wardrobe, open to a white screensaver with the letter L in fancy calligraphy floating haphazardly about.

…..

L wasn't eating cake because he wanted to.

No, what was he thinking, of course he wanted to, but there was a much more important reason for it: he needed to drown out the stench of powdered sugar and baked goods that was saturating the entire house, _especially_ the first floor. It was affecting every one of them, Matt had jumped at the opportunity to leave (though the prospect of working with Soichiro Yagami was hardly an appealing alternative).

It hadn't been so bad an hour ago. L was glad, it meant Light had gotten his strength back…but when even Watari wasn't willing to step onto the first floor for longer than a minute, _that_ was when they knew there was a problem.

Near looked pretty content where he was, though, playing with his card towers as he typed away at his computer. L gazed longingly at him, he remembered when cases had been the focal point of his own life, when he would work at a case for seventy hours at a stretch before he remembered to sleep.

It took a second for him to realise Near was smirking at him, so L cut another piece of strawberry cheesecake and stuck it in his mouth. "Do you need my help, Near?"

Before Near could answer in his usual dispassionate manner, his cellphone rang obnoxiously loudly, startling both of them. The white-haired boy picked it up between forefinger and thumb, twirling a finger in his hair. "Yes?"

Near waited a moment and sighed, snapping the phone shut. "We should go upstairs."

"Development?" L picked up his plate of cake. "Perhaps you should take some food as well. It helps."

"I'll manage." Near muttered sullenly. L cut himself a fresh slice, inhaling the syrup-sweet odour and keeping a noseful of it in mind as he sprinted up behind his successor. The powdered sugar scent grew stronger and stronger as they climbed up, until by the time they reached the study they were almost choking. It was comforting and nauseating at the same time, mostly because L's whole focus was to not go vampire and chew his human out (literally) for the second time in twenty-four hours.

L's eyes widened. "Oh, this is bad. This is really, really bad." He pinched his nostrils closed, shuffling over to the door and slamming it shut. "Let's stay here for as little time as possible." Maybe Light needed a shower, there was no way his scent saturated this floor to such an extent all the way from the other side of the corridor (it was so hopelessly alluring…).

"I don't plan to stay here any longer than necessary." Near droned, placing his laptop on the desk. He proceeded to throw the drapes open and push open the windows, frowning as he noticed a piece of paper fluttering on the ground beside his laptop.

"What was the development, Near?" The detective crouched beside the paper and picked it up between two fingers.

Near rolled his eyes as the white screen lit up in front of him, the video feed of Matsuda's huge, deliriously happy face taking its place. "Amane Misa wishes to confess."

L raised his eyebrows just as there was a deafening crash from within the large wardrobe that contained all of the important files the Detective L had accumulated since moving to Tokyo. The two detectives looked back at the piece of furniture curiously.

"You fix that, I'll take care of the L-work." Near said, shrugging nonchalantly, and L had to restrain himself from biting him (oh, let him just wait until L got his title back. They'd see who was doing the menial work then. Near would be fetching tea for a _month_ ). The white-haired boy pressed the button of his speaker, addressing the police in the interrogation centre. "I hope you are not here to waste my time. I have important things to be doing."

 _Important things his ass_ , L thought spitefully as he approached the old cabinet. All Near had been doing all day was postponing his Deneuve work and playing with cards. He was a shit replacement for L, as he had always been, Watari had better realise that before the black-haired man blew a blood vessel.

That wardrobe had always been rotting inside, but it was one of the antiques from Whammy's House, the few things they had kept around for all the seventy-odd years of their living together. The reason for its existence was mainly sentimental value, so L used it to store all the useless things he had (allowing it to function as a nice little metaphor of how he viewed sentimentality).

Unfortunately, the antique also had a reputation for falling apart at the merest provocation, which meant there was likely a rat or two running about the house…which could only be a good thing for vampire feeling a little extra bloodthirsty.

The detective wrenched the cupboard door open and stopped dead as an auburn-haired teenager tumbled out, leaving a broken shelf and a mess of shuffled pages behind him.

"So _that's_ where the smell's coming from." Near murmured away from the mic, amused, as L dragged Yagami Raito out of the wardrobe, scattering a long trail of paper along the way, pressing him back against the wall.

" _What_ are you scheming, Raito-kun?"

Light thought for a moment, and L took the time to check out his slim frame. He looked very healthy, unlike how he'd been right after L had drained him. There was colour in his cheeks, his eyes were bright and, best of all, his wound had been reduced to a shiny scar. The venom had taken to him instantly. It was like he was made to become a vampire sometime in the future. Even _Matt_ hadn't had such a positive reaction to venom.

The brunet cleared his throat. "I was…looking for the restroom?"

"You were looking for the restroom in my wardrobe?"

Light laughed. "Well…I didn't find it." He grinned cockily. "I should probably look somewhere else, huh? I'll go do that now." And then he had the nerve to try to break out of L's hold, as if the vampire was a complete imbecile.

Near turned back to his screen, where Matsuda was staring blankly at his monitor, face lit up white by the display Near was projecting. "Well? I assumed she was going to confess? Must I ask her personally?"

"Were you spying on our transmissions, Yagami Raito? Are you taking my protection for granted?" L snarled at the human.

Light sneered. "Don't protect me too well, Ryuuzaki, I might end up losing more than a few litres of blood."

L had to consciously focus on not inhaling too much of his too-strong candy scent, grimacing resentfully. "Right. Well, if we're throwing insults about, _you_ need a _shower_."

The brunet coloured. "Oh yeah? Well I've been imprisoned in a room for hours. What's _your_ excuse?"

L snorted. " _Imprisoned_. You're such a drama queen, Raito."

Light opened his mouth to protest indignantly, but then his eyes flitted to Near's screen.

The teenager turned pale. L glanced over his shoulder to set eyes on Misa's white, vampiric mug peering through the screen, her blond hair falling in sweaty waves around her face. She wore a smug little smile as she tossed her head to the side, her bangs falling out of her eyes.

Light pulled at L's hands nervously and the detective freed him, letting him lope forward and stand beside Near, transfixed by the happenings onscreen.

The blond girl smirked. "Misa is ready to confess."

There was a beat, and L was stupid enough to feel a drop of relief. Near twirled his hair around his index finger, pressing the speaker's button exasperatedly. "Yes, that was pretty clear. I hope you are not wasting my time, Miss Amane, or-"

"Let me finish."

Near's mouth shut with a clack.

"Misa is ready to confess…but _only_ to her Raito."

Light burst into laughter.

.

.

A/N: Review and comment, it's really encouraging!


	29. L

"I'm fine, Ryuuzaki! Let me go for fuck's sake!"

L had never been as scared as he had been when faced with Light's maniacal laughter. The brunet had gained a kind of otherworldly aura, something distinctly psychotic. He had tipped his head back, letting out a mess of sound that had been cathartic and horrifying, his usually controlled expressions loose and scarily genuine. It had been frankly hypnotising, even Near had turned in his seat, staring at the teenager, fascinated until Matt said his name onscreen.

Once L had snapped out of his trance, he'd grabbed his lover by the arm, dragging him out of the room and slamming the door shut behind him. Light had only sort of come back to himself when they'd gotten to the stairs, and even then he hadn't started struggling until they were already down to the ground floor.

"Ryuuzaki, god-fucking-damn it, don't touch me!" He yanked his arm from the detective's tight grasp, but since they were already at their destination, it didn't matter. L steered him resolutely towards the kitchen, plopping him down on one of the chairs thrown about in its vicinity. Light scowled at him, making to get up, but L placed a firm hand on his shoulder. The brunet shrugged him off, glaring viciously at him. "The fuck do you think you're doing? I need to tell Nate that I'll do it."

L leaned down and fixed him with his steely black gaze. "You will tell him no such thing."

Light's eyebrows drew down as his jaw tightened. "I need that confession. I need her to go to prison for the rest of her life. I will do whatever it takes to get her there, you can't stop me. You have no right to stop me."

The detective dipped his head, wishing he could kiss him. "Alright, I will amend that. You will tell him no such thing until you are in the right mind."

Light's eyes flew open indignantly. "What exactly are you implying by that? I'm perfectly sane-"

"You have been under a lot of stress over an extended amount of time." L stepped away from the teenager, pulling him to his feet by the wrists. "Follow me."

The detective strode along down the hallway, not really expecting Light to follow but being pleasantly surprised when he did. The brunet gripped his elbows as he walked, looking around him with narrowed eyes. L stopped in front of Watari's room, throwing open the door without knocking and slumping inside.

The old man was lying flat on his bed, staring at the slowly rotating ceiling fan. "Ryuuzaki, you must knock."

"I know, Watari. I just want to grab some things."

Watari glanced curiously up, sniffing the air. "Good afternoon, Yagami Raito."

"Um…hello." Light looked uncomfortable, shifting discreetly from one foot to the other. "Ryuuzaki, what are you-"

L came back out carrying an armload of towels and, to Light's apparent surprise, a couple sets of the teenager's clothes that Chief Yagami had brought them from the house. The brunet eyed him suspiciously as the detective led him out and closed the door behind them. "Are you seriously going to bring up my smell again?"

The detective smiled. "You say it like it's a bad thing but I assure you, you smell divine."

"Divine like perfume or divine like dinner?" Light asked warily as he followed the detective back up the stairs.

L laughed. "To me, you smell like the bakery outside of Whammy's House, where I grew up." He smiled. "You're one of the handful of humans who change their scents to suit our preferences. Usually, a human smells a particular way and it's subjective whether they appeal or not, but you…" L took a deep sniff, the cloud of sugary scent assaulting his senses. "It is very obvious why Amane Misa is obsessed with you."

The brunet's gaze shifted to the floor. "So…those other men she killed, Hishida and Kousaka, they were also…like me?"

L jostled his towels in his hands to nibble his thumbnail. "I can't say. Perhaps. Or they had scents that were appealing without having to change specifically for her."

Light considered that, chewing on his bottom lip as they walked back towards L's bedroom. The detective watched him, absorbing his every characteristic, how his eyes were dropped and his expression more guarded than it had ever been around him. L hated it, hated that Light felt vulnerable, but it was all L's fault.

"Raito-kun?"

Light's eyes flitted to him. "Hmm?"

L swallowed. "I completely understand that this is frightening, but I will reiterate what I said before: I will protect you, whatever it takes, and I ask for nothing in return. I will not touch a drop of blood in your body, and I will never allow anyone else to."

"And how will you stop them?" Light smirked humourlessly. "I get you being confident about Misa, but what about your brothers? And Watari-san? Watari-san definitely wants to kill me, I can see it in his eyes. How exactly will you protect me from someone who invented a substance that can kill vampires?" His eyes followed the wall as they walked. "I'm not going down without a fight, Ryuuzaki…but I know when a fight is hopeless."

The detective frowned. "That doesn't sound like you. I've never known you to give up."

"Yeah, well." Light sighed. "Maybe I'm just tired."

They had reached L's room, but just as Light reached for the doorknob, the detective placed the things in his hands on the floor and touched the teenager's arm, pulling him to a stop and facing him. "Raito, I'm going to tell you a secret."

Light sighed. "Another secret? How many more are there?"

"This one is better, trust me."

The brunet crossed his arms, as if bracing himself. "Right. Sure."

L smiled. "Do you know why everyone in the house listens to me? Why they allow me to keep you here, why they have not touched a hair on your head and never will?"

Light raised an eyebrow. "Are you going to say it's because they're family? Because that's not-"

"No, it most definitely is not because they're my family. They love me very much and I them, but that is not why they obey my commands." L took a deep breath, but before he could get it out, Light interrupted.

"So you don't obey Watari? Even though he converted you?"

L wrinkled his nose, peeved at the interjection. "Well, see, it's more complicated than that-"

The brunet rolled his eyes. "It's not complicated at all. Either you obey him or he obeys you. What, did you think I didn't get any information out of anyone at all? I know more than you think."

"If you will stop interrupting me, Raito-kun-"

Light turned away. "You're lying to me again, Ryuuzaki. You're exploiting the fact that I'm new to this world and you're just lying your ass off to, what, comfort me? Get me optimistic again?"

"I am not lying to you-"

"Well, I call this lying. You say you can command Watari around, but he's the one who converted you so it's the opposite-"

"Stop that! Let me speak!" L shouted.

Light curled his hands into fists. "I will _not_ let you speak, you piece of _shit_ , you've _lied_ to me from the very beginning-"

 _"I am L!"_

Light froze, staring at Ryuuzaki as the detective got his breathing under control. The blood in his body was boiling away, but it was worth it to see that look on the brunet's face. "I am L." He repeated as he waited for the reaction.

A slow, creeping smile stretched Light's lips. "You are L, are you? Is that way Nate River is in charge of all the L-work, as he calls it?"

L felt his face heat up. "Well, see, I may have temporarily lost the position to Near, who is my first-ranked successor. It's purely namesake. He still needs my assistance on any case more difficult than a traffic violation. It is my punishment because Mello and Matt, they-"

"Look, Ryuuzaki, you don't have to do this. I know that L is your brother, I've already deduced it." Light ran his hand through his fringe. "You know the best thing you can do for me? You can just stop this. I can handle reality. I'm not fragile."

L was incredulous. "Do you have so little faith in me? How could I order my family around if they answer to Near? Why would he allow me to keep you? He can't stand your scent!"

When Light was silent, L took the opportunity to rant. "I'm not stupid! If I wanted to lie, it wouldn't be this simple-minded. I am L, I swear it!"

"Then let me guess." Light shot out bitterly. "Watari is in charge of you."

 _"No!"_ L shook his head, baffled. "He's…he's my guardian! I obey him like you'd obey a parent. Is your father in charge of you?"

Light stared at him, his expression blanked.

"Raito-kun, believe me, I'm not lying!"

The brunet chewed his lip. "So, you're L, then."

L breathed a sigh of relief. "The one and only. I've faced thousands of serial killers, criminals and, most relevantly, rogue vampires. The reason the Volturi sent vampire hunters rather than take me in for a trial in the halls of the Volturi even after Misa's false accusations was to give me a fighting chance. When I say I will protect you, Raito-kun, I do not say it lightly."

"Y-you're L, then. I thought so." Light whispered under his breath.

L cocked his head, dragging his thumb over his lip. "Did something give me away?"

Light didn't seem quite ready to answer, so L bent over to pick up the bathing things he had placed at their feet and handed them over to the teenager. "Here. There's a bathroom inside, I'm sure you noticed it when you woke up. You'll feel better when you're clean, I know it. We can discuss this in detail when you're okay."

Light nodded numbly, turning on his heel and floating into the room.

L was just about to head back to the study, where Near seemed ready to camp out for the rest of the day, when he noticed a loosely folded piece of notepaper at his feet.

Had Light dropped it? L never carried anything in his pockets, and this had definitely hadn't come from the towels.

Had he taken it from L's wardrobe?

Suddenly, L knew what it was before he picked it up. His heart beat loudly in his ears.

 _It couldn't be, could it?_

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A/N: Review and comment, it's really encouraging!


	30. Justice

The car moved along into the night, the engine humming underneath them as Light laid on L's lap.

"Justice. You're supposed to be _justice_."

"Why should I ever give you your title back?"

"There is nothing else I can do, how can I possibly tell him the truth and expect him to be willing to stay with me?"

Light opened his eyes, pushing his hair wetly back off his face as he stared at the wall of the shower, water mingling with the soap suds on his head.

That wasn't the secret. That wasn't what he was hiding.

Ryuuzaki was L, Light had known that for quite some time now, but there was something else brewing there, something worse he was hiding from him. There were so many secrets.

The brunet had always known there was something fishy about Ryuuzaki, ever since he first saw him squatting there with his crazy hair and ringed eyes, sticking his thumb in his mouth as he looked around the auditorium. There was always a mystery around him, a wall he put around himself, and that combined with his obviously interesting personality had made him irresistible. Meeting Ryuuzaki after that first talk was inevitable, Light had already fallen into the abyss.

What could possibly be left? Ryuuzaki had lied to him from the moment they met, he was a bloodsucking demon, he was the great and famous Detective L, what else could he be hiding? How was it possible to lie this much? Light knew he lied a lot, but those were just pretences. Ryuuzaki's lies were earth-shaking revelations, every single one.

He let the water unknot his muscles, paint goosebumps over his skin. He was feeling a lot better, his soreness was easing, his mind clearing. He wanted more than anything to brush his teeth while he was at it, but he couldn't because while Ryuuzaki had been thoughtful enough to get his father to send in some clothes for him, he hadn't bothered to ask for toiletries (even though he was supposed to be staying here). Light smiled despite himself. It was such a Ryuuzaki thing to do.

He was feeling more like himself now, more like Yagami Raito, top student of Japan. He had a reputation to keep, he could achieve anything.

Light stepped out of the shower, drying himself and pulling on his new clothes. A button-up red shirt and brown pants, at least his father had picked things that matched. He needed to keep up appearances.

He stopped in front of the mirror over the sink and remembered the last time he'd dressed. All his bruises were gone, he was more whole than he had been for a long time now. The venom, it had fixed him far beyond the shiny half-moon scar on the curve of his neck.

What were the implications of Ryuuzaki being L? Well, for one, it meant the World's Greatest Detective was in love with him, the World's Greatest Detective who was also an immortal vampire (which explained the need for secrecy, nobody on the internet actually knew anything about the detective allegedly pushing eighty).

Light shook his head and reached for the doorknob. It didn't matter, none of this really mattered. What he had to concern himself with, right now, was survival. L could help him survive, since he had a personal stake in him, so the whole revelation was a good thing. He was overthinking the situation, as usual.

The minute Light opened the door of the bathroom, he heard a deafening crash and a screech that pretty much blew a hole in his eardrum. Adrenaline shooting through his veins, Light sprinted out of the bedroom, palms sweating as he turned the corner towards L's study. That screech had sounded remarkably like Misa.

"What happened-?" Another crash drowned out his words and he stopped at the doorway.

Ryuuzaki was demolishing the wardrobe Light had been hiding in only half an hour ago, the splintered wood flying in the air as the detective dug through the millions of papers stuffed inside it in a frenzy.

The source of the screech had been Near, whose fangs were elongated as he glared daggers at his brother, yelling at him in Russian of all languages, which Light could only understand because he had been remarkably bored one year in high school. _"Don't get so hysterical, you bloody twat! I'm trying to do research!"_

 _"This is more important than your fucking research, Near! Help me!"_ L responded in the foreign tongue, the words barking fluently out.

 _"Maybe if you were being more rational about this I would help you, but I need your help looking up this Rem woman. What I've been able to find about her are-"_

 _"I don't care!"_ Ryuuzaki's black hair whipped out of his face with the force of his turn. The vampire rummaged vigorously through the papers. _"He'll be out any second! I need to make sure he didn't find-"_

 _"Get your priorities straight, L, Rem is a Shinigami!"_

The pale man narrowed his dark eyes, but did not stop digging through the papers. _"How can you be sure of that?"_

Near squatted down on the ground, taking a lock of his hair between his fingers. _"Well, there are always seven Shinigami in the Volturi, and by Ryuk's testimony, there are six currently in Transylvania for the celebrations. Besides, Amane's description definitely doesn't sound humanoid. Seven feet tall, yellow eyes…"_

Ryuuzaki gave him a deadpan look. _"Not enough proof. A great number of Volturi grow taller over the years, and besides, we must not give much weight to Misa's testimony. She may be trying to confuse us."_

Near raised his eyebrows. _"Think about it, L. It explains a lot. How Misa got the charges against you to stick, why she was disguising her scent, why Mello suddenly felt the need to try to free her…"_

Ryuuzaki paused in his search, placing his hands on his knees. _"You are linking Mello to the Shinigami?"_

 _"Yes. I mean, how many times have we imprisoned vampires for crimes against humanity? How many times have we falsely accused them to get an easier conviction? Mello has never protested until now."_

The black-haired man bit his raggedy thumbnail. _"You suspect her of using her powers against us?"_

Near shrugged, tugging at the lock of hair between his index finger and thumb. _"Don't worry, she isn't particularly powerful. We can request for Ryuk's assistance, I bet he's better than her. By her actions so far, her powers over memory and influence is low, and she seems to be trying to hide her interference from the Volturi. She can be executed if seen protecting a vampire this way."_

Ryuuzaki sits in his squat, contemplative as he worried at his nail. _"She will be. I will ask for Ryuk's assistance immediately…"_ He looked down at the hopelessly steamrolled wardrobe at his feet. _"Can I ask your help looking for the book now? I don't think he's seen it yet, but I can't have him coming upon it by accident again…"_

Near grimaced. _"I would be no better than you, I am just as deprived in the sensory spheres. I suppose Matt could help, whenever he comes."_

Ryuuzaki groaned. _"He'll take too long! Light will be out any second-"_ His eyes darted to the door and caught a glimpse of chestnut eyes watching him from just behind the door jamb. The vampire's face slowly turned a deep shade of scarlet.

Light suppressed a grin. Ryuuzaki looked like a child caught taking an extra piece of chocolate. "Hey there, Ryuuzaki, Near."

The black-haired man blinked blankly. Near snickered. "Lucky I remembered the Russian rule, huh?"

Light rolled his eyes, continuing in Japanese. Apparently, it was going to be useful for them to underestimate him. "I'm not interested in your secrets unless they concern me directly. No need to destroy your furniture over it." He leaned against the jamb, looking down at the short, white-haired vampire. "I only came to inquire when I'm going to be meeting Misa."

Ryuuzaki licked his lips, darting a nervous glance at Near. Quietly, he switched to Russian again, spitting out his words and thickening his accent so it was near impossible to understand _. "How safe is it to continue with Misa's demands if a Shinigami is involved?"_

Near shrugged. _"She cannot interfere noticeably, so abduction and direct interference is out of the question, unless she is feeling suicidal. However, if she was ready to die, she would have freed Misa already. She's not going to do anything more than try to influence our opinions or cause minor hallucinations. Since we and your boyfriend are relatively stable, unlike Mello…"_

Ryuuzaki nodded. _"So as long as we're careful, it's safe."_ He looked up at Light again, who was getting pissed off. Yes, he could understand what they were saying, but they didn't know that.

"How rude." He muttered, making Ryuuzaki's lips quirk up in a smile.

"Sorry, Raito-kun. We were only discussing vampire matters. We can meet with Amane Misa whenever you're ready."

"Yeah." He looked down at himself. "I'm fine now. I'm ready."

And he was. He was tired of going through Ryuuzaki's innumerable secrets, he was ready to finally _do_ something.

Ryuuzaki laughed. "Do you really wish to go this very minute? You haven't eaten in twenty-four hours."

Light itched the back of his ear. "You're keeping track?"

"I keep track of everything, Raito-kun. It's part of my job."

Near, who had drifted towards his laptop, jerked his head up at that, staring wordlessly at his raven-haired mentor. The detective gave his successor a sharp nod as he got to his feet. "I'll get you something, Raito-kun. I think Watari stocked up the fridge-"

"Aren't you going to clean up first?" The brunet gestured to the ripped-apart cupboard on the floor. "I mean sure, I'd already broken it, but come on."

Ryuuzaki gave him a childishly sulky look. "I'll do it later."

The teenager huffed, disgusted. "You're as bad as my little sister." He loped into the room, pausing by the wardrobe's gaping carcass. "Look, I'll help-"

"No!" The yelp was sudden and desperate, just as expected. The detective suddenly blurred with motion, the wardrobe righting itself and pushing itself to the wall, the scattered papers rising in the air and shoving themselves back into its cracked, slanted shelves. Its impact against the wall was harsh, making the already fragile closet shudder shakily. Ryuuzaki came to an abrupt stop inches from Light's toes, a goofily nervous smile on his lips. "All done! Let's leave!"

Light tried not to let the alarm show on his face as Ryuuzaki shoved him along, strong hands steering him out into the corridor. The detective laced his icy fingers with the brunet's and grinned up at him.

The teenager tried his luck. "So, what were you talking about back there?"

"I, well…L-stuff. Near was consulting me on another of my cases." The detective dragged his thumb along his lip. "We should leave him alone. He's working wonders on Amane Misa's case, it's a good thing seeing him progress without my help for once."

With a sigh, Light allowed the change in topic. Ryuuzaki would reveal the third secret when he was ready.

"It seems to give you a lot of free time to have temper tantrums and tear down the furniture."

"It's all for the best. That closet is older than Watari." The vampire squeezed Light's hand as they reached the kitchen again. "I'm glad to see you're feeling better, Raito-kun."

"No thanks to you." Light teased, bumping Ryuuzaki with his hip. "Is there anything but desserts to eat? I'm sick of cake, Sayu had made me have them for breakfast yesterday too."

The black-haired man paused. "You… _don't_ want cake?"

Light chuckled. "No, I don't like sugar. Do you have coffee?"

There was a moment of pure silence before Ryuuzaki found his voice again. "Who doesn't like _sugar?"_

"Sugar is overrated." Light said dismissively, taking the liberty to wrench the refrigerator door open and peer inside (he wasn't ashamed to say he expected a few litres of blood in various containers, but unfortunately it was spic and span). "Oh, wow, there is nothing healthy in here."

"Health is overrated." Ryuuzaki muttered, crouching near his feet. "Besides, we're immortal."

Light gave him a crooked smile, pulling out a slice of old pizza layered with peppers. "So, how old are you?"

The detective nibbled on the nail of his little finger. "Ninety five. Sixty-nine of those years I have been a vampire."

The brunet plugged in the microwave oven. "Pedophile alert." He sang.

Ryuuzaki blinked up at him. "I am not a pedophile."

"Seventy-seven years between us, Ryuuzaki." Light grinned playfully. The vampire pondered on that while the pizza heated up in the yellow light of the oven.

Finally, the older man pulled his thumb out of his mouth. "Raito-kun does not look or behave like a child, and he has passed the age of consent. Hence, I cannot be considered a pedophile."

"Semantics." Light stated. "You could be my great-grandfather."

The detective unfolded himself from his crouch and opened the refrigerator to retrieve a readied plate of cake. "But I'm not, so I don't see how that matters."

"You don't see how that matters?" Light snorted. "Yeah, you wouldn't, would you?" He grabbed his pizza and took a bite.

The food awoke something within him, a hunger that seemed to extend as far as the mind could comprehend. Light let out a moan of delight, scarfing down his meal in seconds and elbowing past his lover to yank out the entire box of pizza. He barely tasted the food, it could have been the most disgusting mush or the best thing to ever grace his mouth, the only thing he could register was the unending hunger. His last meal had been breakfast yesterday, no wonder he had been so foggy this whole time.

"Aren't you even going to heat it up, Raito-kun?" Ryuuzaki sounded exceedingly amused. The teenager vehemently shook his head.

"No time." The brunet gasped in between bites. "Starving. Never…hungry…like this…in my life."

"Raito-kun has lived a privileged life." The detective droned. "When I was seven years old, I was on my own scavenging for food on the streets of 1920's England."

Light stopped chewing just to give him flat look. "Now you _sound_ like my great-grandfather."

"I was only stating the truth." Ryuuzaki monotoned. "I am still twenty-five years old in body."

"I sure hope so." Light winked at the detective, who looked thoughtful, sitting down in his squat under the kitchen island.

After a pause of a few minutes, by which time Light had nearly finished the pizza (a decision that would hopefully not result in him bloating up like a balloon), Ryuuzaki finally cleared his throat.

"Raito-kun."

Light gnawed on the doughy crust. "Mhm?"

The vampire near his feet cut into his cake and took a large bite, speaking with his mouth full. "I was prepared to have you being annoyed with me for a good chunk of the future, if not forever...but you're being so…friendly. As if nothing has changed." Light opened his mouth to protest that, but the detective cut over him. "However, I recognise that most people use strange methods of coping, so I will not pry. I only have one question."

Ryuuzaki suddenly raised his hands, holding the plate with his nearly-untouched piece of strawberry cake up near the brunet's chin. Light stared at him, startled.

The vampire bowed his head, his eyes shadowed by his fringe. "Would you like some cake?"

Light laughed. _A peace offering, eh?_ He let his eyes sweep over the vampire, taking in his wild black hair, glossy and too long, his huge black eyes, his pouting pale mouth.

"You know, Ryuuzaki, you're a grade A asshole."

To his surprise, the detective's eyes grew wide, catching the light in white flecks, the depths of the blackness almost suffocating. "Is our relationship…over, then, Raito-kun? If we are, I can't help but need to pitch my case. Though it may not seem so, Raito-kun, I love you. I have terrible social skills, I am unable to profess the depths of my feelings to you, but-"

Light groaned, slapping his forehead. "I wasn't done."

"-but I have never loved anyone the way I have loved you, not in my ninety-five years of existence. The only other people I feel any affection for is my family, but I do not feel passion for them, they do not make me feel happy the way you do. I wish things hadn't gone this way, I wish I could make it up to you somehow. There isn't a being in the world, human or otherwise, that I respect more than you, Raito-kun, not a single one, and the thought that I had caused you harm, whether physical or emotional…I am so, so, so sorry to have hurt you so many times, Raito-kun, please don't do this! I don't know if I can bear it, please don't leave me! Not…not after I finally got you…"

In response, Light took the dish from the vampire, kept it on the kitchen island and ducked underneath it so that he was nose-to-nose with the detective. Ryuuzaki's breath was warm on his face, his wide eyes dinner plates. Light could see the faintest circle of steel-grey ringing his inky irises. The vampire's skin matched that shade, so pale it was the colour of clouded glass.

Slowly, watching the pale man's eyes follow his movements, Light raised his index finger and flicked his nose.

It was comical, how his eyes bugged out of his skull. His mouth clamped shut, the muscles in his jaw twitching. The detective had no idea what to say, and it was the most hilarious thing to watch.

Light mirrored Ryuuzaki's pose, wrapping his arms around his knees. "I'm going to help you out here, because you're hopelessly lost and I feel pity for you." He paused for dramatic effect. "Look, when you have a crush on someone for months, and you've studied them and tested them and realised that they're the only person you can stand to be around for any amount of time...that you _like_ to be around for any amount of time…" He reached out and pushed a clump of hair behind the vampire's ear. The detective watched with fascination, sticking his thumb in his mouth and nibbling the nail.

Light shifted closer, his thumb resting on Ryuuzaki's cheekbone. "…it hurts a lot more when they lie to you about everything they are."

Ryuuzaki's teeth slipped from the nail, jaws clacking. "I-I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, Raito-kun-"

"But." Light smirked, leaning forward so their foreheads touched, not removing his hand from the older man's cheek. " _But_ , if I had been in your place, I would likely have done exactly the same thing, so I have no right to judge."

The vampire's eyes were perfect mirrors, reflecting his auburn hair back to him. A cold finger traced Light's collarbone, travelling up to rest on the puckered scar on the side of his neck. "You have every right to judge me."

Light felt Ryuuzaki inhale deeply, and he remembered what the vampire had said about his scent. "No, Ryuuzaki, I don't. We're the same, you know? If I was the vampire and you the human, I'm pretty sure you'd be the one with the scar. We're the same, so I know you'd never hurt me on purpose. I know you love me, because I love you." He'd said Light smells like the bakery he'd grown up in. To Ryuuzaki, he smelled of home.

"Do you really believe that, Raito-kun?" The detective murmured, resting his head in the crook of Light's neck.

"Am I wrong to?" Light wrinkled his nose as Ryuuzaki's hair tickled him. The detective raised his head, cupping the boy's jaw carefully, as if he could break any second (and knowing the vampire's strength, he could).

The older man pulled him closer, their lips only whispers away from each other. He raised his eyebrows in a wordless _may I?_ Light took the opportunity to close the gap between them, his lover's lips soothingly cold against his own. Cold, strong, hard. Light did trust him, even though there was a secret to spare. He trusted him, because Ryuuzaki was the same person he had fallen for throughout this half-year, and he could trust that Ryuuzaki with his life.

"No, you are not wrong to. You will never be wrong to, Raito-kun, I will make sure I earn the right to keep your trust." The vampire whispered against his lips as those cold hands traced a line down his backbone. "I never understood the concept of love before I met you. It is a pleasant feeling, I think I enjoy it."

Light rolled his eyes. "It's inconvenient is what it is. It's restricting and annoying. I'm stuck with you."

"That…doesn't sound pleasant."

The teenager grinned, wrapping his arms around the older man and pressing his lips to his fiercely. The detective deepened the kiss. It seemed to go on forever, their hearts beating loudly in their ears until Light had to break away to take a heaving breath.

"Okay. Okay, I forgot you're an immortal being who doesn't need to breathe." Light gasped out. Ryuuzaki grinned, his cheeks flushed.

"I do need to, a little bit." The detective slipped out from under the kitchen island and stood up.

Light crawled out to follow him, seeing that the vampire was hovering between him and the plate carrying the generous slice of strawberry cake that he had discarded earlier.

The brunet laughed. "You can have the cake, Ryuuzaki, we can make out later."

Ryuuzaki blinked owlishly at him. "I wish to share my cake with Raito-kun."

"That's flattering. I've never seen you share your food before." The teenager rested elbows on the counter. Ryuuzaki ducked his head as if embarrassed, but his mouth sported a wry grin.

"No need to be flattered, Raito. It is my duty to change your mind about sugar."

"Is it now?" Light picked up one of the forks lying on the counter and lazily sliced into the cake, his eyes fixed seductively on the older man. Ryuuzaki watched him with a relatively blank expression as he popped it into his mouth. "Hmm…" He made a mock-thoughtful expression, tapping the fork against the edge of the plate. "I think-"

"Ryuuzaki." A sharp monotone called from upstairs, and Nate River appeared at the head of the stairs. His white hair was ruffled and his eyes were narrowed in irritation. He addressed Ryuuzaki exclusively, ignoring Light's presence. "Get up here. It's urgent."

"What happened?" Ryuuzaki sounded almost bored, reluctant to turn his attention from the brunet lounging casually over his cake. Near detected that and huffed, switching to Russian.

 _"It's an emergency, Ryuuzaki, I need your help."_

The detective yawned. _"Elaborate."_

Fidgeting nervously, the white-haired boy finally darted a look at Light and back to his mentor, his jaw clenched. _"It's really better if we discuss this in private."_ Light frowned, intrigued.

 _"Elaborate, or I'm not coming up. Feel free to stick to Russian."_

 _"Fucking hell, L..."_ Near made a distressed sound, gritting his teeth. _"Fine. Fine, I'll just…"_

He bit the bullet.

L threw his fork against the wall.

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A/N: Review and comment, it's really encouraging!


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